From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3. A didactic lesson thinly disguised as a story. Set in the wildlife sanctuary of Ranthambhore in India, the book's main protagonist is a hot-tempered young tiger named Mallika. After losing her prey because of her hotheadedness, her mother attempts to teach Mallika to manage her anger by making better behavior choices. After several mishaps, she controls her emotions and extricates herself from a tight spot, thereby learning her lesson. The detailed watercolor illustrations fill the oversized pages with warm oranges, yellows, reds, and lush greens, depicting the sanctuary with its picturesque ruins and exotic wildlife. The endpapers offer information on India, the sanctuary, and its flora and fauna. The text, however, is preachy and humorless. A page at the end presents strategies for parents and educators to help youngsters deal with their tempers. The subject is treated with a lighter touch in Marjorie Sharmat's Attila the Angry (Holiday, 1985) and Norma Simon's I Was So Mad (Albert Whitman, 1974).?Judith Constantinides, East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
This didactic, stilted story of a tiger in India who frequently becomes angry and upset is designed to assist young children in learning to identify, accept, and express their emotions. When Mallika tussles with her brother, causing them to let go of a peacock, their mother, Babur, says, ``True, your brother didn't play fair, but nobody wins when you lose your temper.'' While the lessons may be therapeutic, the fiction is weak (a concluding note to parents and educators advises them to ask children certain questions to help them get the point). The illustrations are more successful--greens and golds dominate the appealing watercolors that capture the rich and exotic locale of India's Ranthambhore National Park, in a realistic style, although the tiger cubs occasionally fall prey to anthropomorphic glares, sulks, and smiles. (Picture book. 5-7) --
Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
