How would you help a Tiger who can’t sleep?
The Story: Emily can’t sleep because the tiger, gorilla, hippo and elephant on her wallpaper are making such a noise. She climbs into the wallpaper to see what all the fuss is about and finds that they are trying to get to sleep! Emily does her best to help but baths, drinks and lullabies all prove unsuccessful. Then she reads a bedtime story…
Goodnight Tiger is an amusing story that adds fun and an original twist to a familiar bedtime routine – the watering hole serves as a bath, hot chocolate isn’t easily found in the jungle (so improvisation is necessary!) and the animals really don’t understand the meaning of the word lullaby! Eventually, Emily’s bedtime story sends the animals to sleep and she can snuggle up wth the tiger. (My daughter’s only complaint about this story is that she wants to know what Mummy or Daddy say when they see the tiger next morning!).
We love books that celebrate enjoyment of stories and Goodnight Tiger is a great portrayal of the power that a story can have. The text is fun to read and and despite the fact that it is bedtime there is plenty of action to keep you turning the pages. Laura Hughes’ vibrant illustrations include lots of humorous details, my daughter loves the tiny cups used for the hot chocolate and I think the gorilla looks great in his apron! The friendly animals are colourful and an array of wonderful facial expressions convey their emotions as they get ready for bed, I especially like the bear’s expression (his brief appearance makes us laugh too!).
It would be interesting to use this book in the classroom to stimulate discussions about children’s individual bedtime routines (as a teacher I’m always interested to know what they involve!). It’s also a fun story to include in an animal or jungle topic, although not mentioned in the text the story includes other species of animals and not just the main characters. A fun library / literacy activity would be to look for stories that jungle animals might like to read (I could probably write another blogpost with suggestions…!) or even find other picture books about hippos, tigers, gorillas or elephants.
Age Range: 3 +
Author: Timothy Knapman / Illustrator: Laura Hughes
Thank you to Little Tiger Press for sending us this fun story with an original twist on the bedtime routine. We think it’s a great story that can be enjoyed at any time of the day!
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