Tiptoe Tapirs

August 31, 2015
Distinctively stylized paintings distinguish this cautionary tale from South Korean author-illustrator Kim. Set “long ago in a jungle where many animals lived,” the story introduces Tapir and Little Tapir, who are quiet and cautious by nature (“Tiptoe, tiptoe. They were careful not to step on an ant”). This alone isn’t enough to keep them safe, however. In a frightening sequence, an orange leopard with needlelike teeth and hooked claws tears through the jungle after them. Just as suddenly, a new danger reveals itself: “Bang! Bang! Bang!” blasts a hunter’s shotgun as three round bursts explode just over the animals’ heads. Following the tapirs’ tiptoeing example allows the leopard and his intended prey to survive. Intriguing details await careful readers (is that Kim himself tiptoeing behind his tapir heroes on the inside front cover?), and the inky silhouetted vegetation and animals’ vacant, ghostlike eyes both help establish a sense of the jungle as a mysterious, unpredictable place. But while readers are left with the assurance that the hunter “left the jungle, never to return,” the violent encounter casts a lingering pall. Ages 4–8.

Starred review from August 15, 2015
Tapir's courage and quiet steps show a leopard how to change his ways and avoid a human hunter. This charming pourquoi tale is set in a Southeast Asian jungle where tapirs, rhinos, hornbills, apes, crocodiles, porcupines, and leopards coexist. Ably translated from the original Korean, the text is spare, gentle, and repetitive. "The leopard ran with loud, heavy steps. / THUD, THUD, THUD. / Tapir ran with soft, silent steps. / Hush, hush, hush." In the art, created with watercolor, drawing ink, and marker pen, most animals have a distinctive color. Tapir is gray and white, while Little Tapir is a pleasing reddish brown. The jungle is more suggested than shown in these allusive images, reminiscent of Korean landscape paintings, and the figures and text both are set on an expanse of white. The placement of text and picture varies, sometimes together, sometimes opposed on a spread, but each spread is a self-contained idea until the climactic page turns of the leopard attack. The pacing is perfect. There is humor in the tiptoeing animals, the dancing rhinoceros and elephant, and Little Tapir's dream of a birthday mud cake, but it is gentle, befitting the overall quiet tone of this appealing import. Exquisite. (Picture book. 3-7)

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October 1, 2015

K-Gr 2-Even in the peaceful jungle, you can hear the "BOOM-BOOM" of an elephant, the "BAM-BAM" of a rhinoceros, the "CAW-CAW" of a hornbill, and the "HOO-HAA-HOO-HAA" of an ape. But you can't hear Tapir and her little one. Ever silent and ever gentle, two tiptoeing tapirs take center stage in this retelling of a classic pourquoi tale. The thought of delicious mud cakes inspires the tapir pair to walk silently through the jungle, past the waterfall and along the river to the Great Puddle. When they reach their destination, they are pleased to see plenty of mud, when, suddenly..."THUD, THUD, THUD...GROWL!" Out of nowhere, a leopard attacks! With the softest steps, the tapirs try to escape. Just as the leopard has the tapirs in his clutches, a hunter's shotgun fires. "BANG! BANG! BANG!" Now the leopard must escape! With a "hush, hush," Tapir and Little Tapir show the leopard how to tiptoe to safety. Rich, traditional, and somewhat meditative watercolor-style artwork graces each page, while perfectly timed sounds and alliterations add to the suspense of the story. Rhymes and animal sounds make this an ideal choice for an action-based read-aloud. VERDICT This delightful tale effortlessly supplements most picture book collections.-Natalie Braham, Denver Public Library

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