Tigerella - Hardcover

Wright, Kit

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0590481711 ISBN 13: 9780590481717

Publisher: Scholastic, 1994

Synopsis

A Cinderella-like tale introduces the constellations through the adventures of a young girl named Ella, who appears to be normal in the daytime, but at the stroke of midnight becomes a huge jungle cat who travels the moonlit sky in search of adventure.

About this title

From Publishers Weekly:

This atmospheric tale of a girl who turns into a sinuous big cat by moonlight achieves a Romantic spirit that might have pleased tyger expert William Blake. During the day, Ella is a polite red-haired child. But after bedtime, "at the midnight stroke/ ...a changed Ella woke": from beneath the blankets slinks a silent tiger, the hint of a smile on its face. Tigerella explores the lawn, then leaps into the firmament to cavort among the constellations. Several star formations are introduced in this way-Tigerella floats past the Swan, meets the Bear and is scratched by one of Orion's arrows before she returns to her garden in the wee hours. British poet Wright's sophisticated meters ("And then she was gathering pace through the whispering hay fields/ Running, racing, the beat of her heart in tune/ With the earth...") make reading aloud something of a challenge on the first run-through, and a certain dramatic flair is required to pull off such exclamations as "She tossed the stars about!/ Tigerella at play!" But the strange verse mostly adds to the fantasy element, and Bailey's richly hued yet straightforward illustrations enhance the accessibility. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal:

PreSchool-Grade 2-Ella is a nice, well-behaved child during the day. At night, however, she literally changes into a tiger that can fly through dark and have exciting adventures with the stars as her playmates. Through lyrical language, Wright describes Tigerella creeping out of her house, leaping for the moon, battering and scattering the stars, and then sailing by glittering constellations. She plays with the great bear and is grazed by one of Orion the Hunter's arrows. The next morning, Ella is her polite, normal self, except that she has a scratch on her cheek-proof of her night's activities. Bailey uses pen and ink and watercolors to create pictures that are friendly in the daytime scenes and luminous at night. The words and pictures combine beautifully, each adding to the other's appeal. The tale maintains a playful mood and therefore can be mysterious without being frightening. The dramatic tone of the text and the vibrant illustrations make this a great choice for reading aloud to groups.
Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Scholastic
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0590481711
• ISBN 13: 9780590481717
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Bailey Peter