"Tiger, tiger, on the shore..." The tiger in Anushka Ravishankar's whimsical picture book means no harm. But his wanderings lead to a run-in with an angry goat, so he takes refuge in tree. There, he is cornered by a group of excitable men who are quickly confounded by what to do. ("Send him to the zoo? Stick him up with glue? Paint him electric blue?") Their solution brings this comical story rich with word and sound-play full circle, and will leave many young listeners requesting repeated readings. Ravishankar is the author of over 10 books in India, including nonsense verse, at which she clearly excels. The superb design of this singular book features dynamic text layout integrated into the striking two-color prints in black and orange created by Pulak Biswas. Even with stylized printmaking techniques, the illustrator has managed to create a cast of visually distinctive characters whose expressions (the tiger's included) are a wonderful complement to the text.

Megan Schliesman
May 2004