Customer Reviews

Heart of a Tiger

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This book is just marvelous! Little Four(the little gray kitten on the cover) follows Bengal into the jungle to learn how to be like a tiger, so that he may earn his name on naming day. I was struck by how Four perseveres, and eventually triumphs, despite all those around him who doubt. This book has everything; exciting action, great moral (without being preachy)and the illustrations are as magical as the rest of the book.(Be sure to look for the hidden tigers!) Positive, empowering and beautiful, it's everything a picture book should be. I read it to my son's 2nd grade class; it was a hit, it really got them excited and talking.

This book is set in India but could also occur in many other places like China, Africa, South America, Australia, Japan and the Native Americans when parents choose not name their child at birth but sometimes months or year later when their child develops her or his personality or names the child in the order in which they where born like in Ghana, Japan and also in China.

Four little kittens are told that they must no longer go by their names of how they where born 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th but must choose their new name. Their name must fit them and all the animals in the forest must agree it is honest and fair name fitting of the kitty. Kittens 1 - 3 have no problem finding their names, but kitten number 4 the runt of his family has no idea of what kind of name he should have. He definitely knows he doesn't want to be be known as " little anything"!

One day kitten #4 sees a Bengal tiger and things this is the animal to name himself after, he wants to be magnificent one or silent walker or golden splendor and asks the tiger if he can learn from him. The tiger says no, but kitten does not take no for an answer and does follow tiger. In the end he saves the tigers life and finds his perfect name.


The book's painting where done in watercolor and are stunning! A definite must have story for your families library and a great lesson to be learned .

I sent this book and "Quick Quack Quick" by the same author, to my niece and nephew. They really enjoyed it, and my sister enjoyed reading it to them. Many thanks for such a great story.

HEART OF A TIGER is actually my book. I've had 11 books published by major-league NY publishers; HEART OF A TIGER is still closest to my heart. Why? Many reasons. Here are a few: *Jamichael Henterly's illustrations are glorious. Be sure to look for the "hidden tiger" images" on some pages. * The book won an award you just get one chance at, the Ridgway award for Best first book by a New Author. The publisher flew me to NYC for the event. *It's still in print after 16 years and I've seen it change lives for the positive. Each year I do many school visits; I've had more letters and stories shared by educators about this book than any of my others, about how timid children found their courage, about how children in difficult circumstances took heart. I've also had students write me, soon after they've read it and sometimes years after, telling me how the story helped them take courage to follow their own dream and helped them follow an honorable path. Yes. These are their words. Live on Beautiful Bengal. Live on Little Four. As one educator told me, "We are all Little Four's, waiting to come alive." Waiting to follow our dream.