When you’re a child, you’re often praised for conformity, which can be a good thing. We want our children to wear appropriate clothing to school, write their letters properly, and follow the rules. When it’s important for safety and structure, conformity is not a bad concept. However, children also need to know that being “different” is okay, too. It’s cool if you like chess when your friends are into baseball. It’s fun to put a purple streak in your hair or glittery nail polish on your fingernails. These things make our kids unique and enable them to be true to themselves.
That’s the message in Mr. Tiger Goes Wild, by Peter Brown. In this delightful children’s picture book, we find a world in which all of the animals have perfect manners, dress the same, and behave properly. But Mr. Tiger wants to be, well, wild! So, he decides to walk on all four paws instead of two. And he lets out a big ROAR! once in a while instead of speaking quietly. Then one day he goes too far: He removes his clothes! All the other animals are shocked and tell Mr. Tiger that if he must be wild, he should do it in the wilderness. Mr. Tiger thinks that is a great idea! So, he runs away to the wilderness where he can be as wild as he wants. But eventually he gets lonely, so he returns to the city. Fortunately, he finds that changes are being made. Some of the animals are beginning to walk on all fours and behave a little wilder. And Mr. Tiger now feels free to be himself!
Mr. Tiger Goes Wild is filled with bright and colorful illustrations, also by Peter Brown. Children will love Mr. Tiger’s spunkiness and daring. This is a great book for adults to read with children and spur a discussion about when it’s appropriate to do as others do and when it’s okay to be different. I hope you’ll pick up a copy of Mr. Tiger Goes Wild for the little ones in your life for the holidays! Learn more about this book and the author at www.peterbrownstudio.com.
MR. TIGER ACTIVITY KIT
Download a fun Mr. Tiger activity kit! Activities include a Mr. Tiger mask, stick puppets, a word scramble, and a matching game! And click here for bonus holiday pages, which include Mr. Tiger gift tags and an ornament!
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