Common Sense Media Review
By Darienne Stewart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Tiger lets loose his roar and finds joy in gorgeous book.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 3+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
Mr. Tiger's bored with being proper. He's unhappy in his neat suit and top hat, exchanging banalities with his primly dressed friends. One day, he gets a wild idea: He drops to all fours, happily oblivious to the neighbors' stares. He grows increasingly wild, leaping and roaring about, and finally sheds his clothes altogether. Mr. Tiger is gloriously happy, but his friends sternly advise him to take his wildness to a more appropriate setting: the wilderness. Mr. Tiger happily obliges...but after some time he grows lonely. He ventures back to the city and happily discovers things have changed for the better in his absence. Finally, Mr. Tiger feels free to be himself.
Is It Any Good?
MR. TIGER GOES WILD is a fun, beautiful romp with a message that hits home with young children, who are learning when they can be wild and when they need to be reasonably well behaved. Author and illustrator Peter Brown evokes classic midcentury-modern illustrations. He sets the vibrantly orange Mr. Tiger against rigid, sepia-tone backdrops in the city and a riot of color and action in the wilderness. It's a delight to see his face soften from seriously put-out to giddily happy.
Children will giggle at the stiff, buttoned-down grownups, who sternly reprimand the children for acting "like wild animals." Be prepared for some roaring and romping after reading this one! Brown's website features a downloadable activity kit with crafts and games.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about when it's OK to be wild. When can you roar? When should you rein in your wildness?
How does the artwork highlight how Mr. Tiger is different from the other animals?
Where do you go when you want to relax and be wild?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Peter Brown
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : Friendship , Animals ( Wild Animals )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
- Publication date : September 3, 2013
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 3 - 6
- Number of pages : 48
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Award : ALA Best and Notable Books
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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