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Summary
Summary
A mother Siberian tiger and her cub step silently into the forest, floating like mist in the moonlight. The mother nudges her cub beneath a fallen tree, then goes in search of food. Suddenly, there's a roar louder than any tiger's. Wind! Fire! The cub squeals for his mother, but will he find her in the flame-lit wilderness?
Ilya Spirin's powerful watercolor, pastel, and gouache paintings capture the majesty of the Siberian wilderness, from snow lit by fire, to milky moonlight, to the forest animals as they flee toward safety. An Author's Note provides information on the logging and poaching activities that have reduced the Siberian tiger population to fewer than four hundred animals.
Author Notes
Jonathan London was born a "navy-brat" in Brooklyn, New York, and raised on Naval stations throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico. He received a Masters Degree in Social Sciences but never formally studied literature or creative writing. He began to consider himself a writer about the time he graduated from college. After college he became a dancer in a modern dance company and worked at numerous low-paying jobs as a laborer or counselor. He wrote poems and short stories for adults, earning next to nothing despite being published in many literary magazines. For some 20 years before he penned his first children's book, London was writing poetry and short stories for adults. In the early 1970s, he was reading his poems in San Francisco jazz clubs, and those experiences found their way into his witty children's book Hip Cat, which has been featured on the PBS children's television show Reading Rainbow.
After writing down the tale The Owl Who Became the Moon in 1989, London began to wonder if other people might want to read it. He picked up his kids' copy of Winnie-the-Pooh and saw that the book was published by Dutton, so he casually decided to send his story to them. Surprisingly enough, they wanted to publish him. Working with different illustrators, and occasionally with co-authors, London has produced literally dozens of books. Most have appeared under his name, but some have come out under a pseudonym, which still remains a secret.He has published over forty books and has earned recognitions from organizations like the National Science Teachers Association.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-A Siberian tigress and her cub stalk across the dark, cold wilderness one night in search of food. Their single-minded task is interrupted by a sudden, roaring forest fire, which scatters all the forest animals and separates the tigress from her cub. By dawn the next day, the fire has died off and "across the icy stillness a distant cry can be heard." Happily, the mother and cub are reunited. The descriptive but simple story line is realistically illustrated in watercolor, pastel, and gouache in a dark, muted palette that reflects the frozen, nocturnal setting. The fire and the tigers' brownish-orange fur and glistening yellow eyes offer some welcome color counterpoint to the stark black, white, and bluish-gray of the background. The jacket is a stunning head shot of the tigress and her cub, uncluttered by type (title and author/illustrator information is on the back jacket). The author appends information about the Siberian tiger's endangered status and its characteristics, putting the narrative in context. The straightforward but taut arc of the story and lifelike paintings of a fascinating wild animal combine to make this a worthwhile choice for a group read-aloud.-Kathleen Finn, St. Francis Xavier School, Winooski, VT (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
While hunting for food in the expansive Siberian forest a tiger mother is separated from her cub when a forest fire breaks out. London's lyrical narrative skillfully depicts the mother's (successful) search for her cub. Spirin's dark and expressive illustrations in watercolor, pastel, and gouache support this emotional tale. An author's note provides additional information on Siberian tigers. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
In lyrical free verse, nature-writer London gives readers a tiny peek into the lives of a Siberian tiger cub and his mother. "A river in its icy bed / mumbles in its sleep. / The wooded hills and ridges / sparkle with snow. / Shaggy and frost-tipped, / the tigress and her cub / slip like shadows into a forest / of bone-white birches." As Spirin's artwork gets darker and takes on the blue-gray of night, the Striped One hides little Amba under a fallen tree so she can hunt the sika deer in the clearing. But as she is crouched to pounce, the forest erupts into flames, and all the animals flee. All night the mother searches for and calls her cub, but his cry can only be heard with the calming of the wind and fire. Spirin's watercolor, pastel and gouache artwork neatly complements the images painted in London's text. Only twice does he anthropomorphize the expressions on the tigers' faces. The forest fire, though obviously a threat to the forest dwellers, is not vividly portrayed, so readers are unlikely to be to frightened. An author's note provides more information about endangered Siberian tigers, including the threats to their survival. A beautifully written episode with a strong conservation message. (Picture book. 4-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
This fictionalized story of a Siberian tiger and her hungry cub is told in spare, lyrical text and beautiful images: Shaggy and frost-tipped, / the tigress and her cub / slip like shadows into a forest / of bone-white birches. The two are hunting for food in the forest when a wildfire separates them. Not until morning does the tigress hear the plaintive cries of her cub coming from where he was safely protected in a hidden cave: Miiaaaow! Miiaaaaow! The watercolor, pastel, and gouache illustrations are highly atmospheric with blue night hues and orange firelight capturing the beauty of the animals and the starkness of the setting. Much like Jerry Pinkney's The Lion & the Mouse (2009), this features a wordless front cover that is sure to entice readers. While other informational books on Siberian tigers exist, this is a handsome example of conveying animal information via a tender story with an author's note providing further facts about this endangered species.--Cummins, Julie Copyright 2010 Booklist
