The Tiniest Tiger [Paperback]

Joanne McGonagle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 3, 2008

Children and adults will revel in this charming and brilliantly told tale of a forlorn and scruffy little kitten with a black stained nose and a striped tail that tries to find a home among the “big” cats that reside at the local zoo. Young readers will especially delight in this truly literary and fully illustrated lesson that advocates the protection of endangered species. When a stray kitten loses her way and is displaced from the only alley she has ever known, she squeezes her tiny body under the fence at the zoo and begins a long and tireless hunt for a home. Her search leads her to a tiger and into a lion’s den by way of a cheetah, clouded leopard, puma, jaguar, bobcat, and an ocelot. She learns a lot about what she isn’t, but gets no closer to finding a home until she is spotted by the zookeeper’s daughter and learns that there is truly a special spot for every cat—even the tiniest tiger—under the sun.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Tiniest Tiger is an endearing story about a confused little house cat who meets up with some really wild cats--lions, tigers, cheetahs and more--in an attempt to find others of her own kind! Through these encounters, readers learn about interesting characteristics that make each wild cat different!" -- Jack Hanna, Director Emeritus, Columbus Zoo TV's Wildlife Correspondent

A charming introduction to the world of exotic cats and endangered species. -- Kirkus Discoveries

About the Author

Joanne McGonagle lives in Ohio. This is her first children's book. Photo by Patty Wycinski

Product Details

• Paperback: 52 pages
• Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (March 3, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1419684671
• ISBN-13: 978-1419684678
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,529,979 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A small business founder and owner since she reluctantly left college, Joanne was fortunate to sell off a specialty frozen line she developed to a private equity group last year. During nights of insomnia while worrying about the woes of business ownership she wrote The Tiniest Tiger (www.thetiniesttiger.com), an educational fiction story that compares and contrasts the similarities and differences of big cats. Key facts are added to the illustrations to pique curiosity in the reader to learn about the conservation status of each cat. The Tiniest Tiger was recently selected as part of the Kuder Galaxy, an e-learning curriculum in 10,000 schools reaching approximately 3,000,000 students.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of The Tiniest Tiger are being donated to conservation projects for endangered wild cats in Africa, Asia, North America, and South America, through the Conservation Fund of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. Joanne is currently working on the next book in The Tiniest Tiger series

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful & Educational!, June 27, 2008

By 

Shirley Priscilla Johnson "Author/Reviewer -... (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Tiniest Tiger (Hardcover)

All creatures long for a place to call home and in this tender read by author, Joanne L. McGonagle, we meet an alley kitten who stumbles upon a zoo and begins a quest searching for where she would belong. We travel with this precious kitten as she asks each wild cat she meets if she belongs with them. Amongst them are lions, tigers, leopards, and cheetahs that our kitten encounters as she searches for her identity, and the place where she belongs. We learn some important facts about each wild cat, and see their characteristics. It is the wise tiger who gives the kitten wisdom and points her in the right direction to find happiness.
This is a very good read. It is educational and gives learning information in a fun way. The illustrations are bright and colorful and the ending brings a smile. A very well written tale and great learning experience. A book that young and old will surely enjoy.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well Done, June 18, 2008

By 

TrishNYC (New York) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Tiniest Tiger (Paperback)

A lovely book that will delight the heart of any child. It tells a delightful story that reminds me of the tales I listened to as a child. The tale finds a way of telling a story and at the same time teaching children about the Cat family as a whole. I loved every page. My one minor(very minor) quibble was that I felt that the drawings weren't as clean and neat as some other children's book that I have seen. But like I said this is a very minor quibble and is very likely that my expectations are based on my being a member of the Walt Disney and CGI generation. But in fact the more I think of it, the rougher nature of the drawings are actually part of its charm. So no complaints. I will happily pass this on to my young cousins who will love reading this nice tale.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Protecting the World's Big Cats, December 28, 2008

By 

Bryan Carey "Bryan Carey" (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Tiniest Tiger (Paperback)

The Tiniest Tiger is a book with multiple messages; one about belonging and another about conservation. This book focuses on the different species of big cats and one small, domestic cat who notices that she has things in common with all of them, but cannot seem to find one with enough in common to feel at home.

One of the important messages in this book is achieving a sense of belonging. The main character in this book is a little kitten who wants to find some other cat with whom to relate. She goes from one big cat to the next after wandering into a zoo and she has no luck finding the right companion, but she continues to try and she politely accepts the advice of each of the big cats to consider a different species of cat. Each of the big cats, while they do reject the little kitten because she isn't exactly like them, are still very nice, reciprocating the politeness of the kitten as she searches for another cat with whom to identify.

Most children's books contain messages about social norms, so this is nothing new. But The Tiniest Tiger has another message that is less commonplace but still very important: That big cats are all listed on endangered species lists and they need to be protected so they don't disappear from the planet. Each time the little kitten visits another big cat, a fact sheet is present and in every instance, the word Endangered is printed at the top of the list, in bold, red letters. This is intended to bring attention to the fact that all big cats are endangered to one degree or another. Following the endangerment warning is a list of facts about each big cat, like it body length, weight, life span, litter size, and level of endangerment status. The fact sheet even includes a map of the world showing the cat's habitat in the wild. These facts serve to educate young readers on the key differences between these big cats, showing that the differences are more than just the physical appearance, which is often the only way that most people know one big cat from another.

The illustrations in The Tiniest Tiger are nice and they offer a look that is a little different from other children's books. Instead of relying on computer images and well- defined lines, these illustrations look like sketches that have been hand painted in someone's home. They are not as precise in design as the illustrations in other children's book, but they fit the book and its message just fine. The only thing I don't like about the illustrations is the pairs of pages with no illustrations. With each big cat encounter, the little kitten is pictured with the big cat and the fact sheet, but there are no words. The conversation between the two, and the results that occur, are covered on the next pair of pages, which include no illustrations at all. I surmise that The Tiniest Tiger was illustrated in this manner so that young readers would focus solely on the fact sheets and learn about these different cats. But it still would have looked better if the blank sheets had some type of illustration and not just words.

The Tiniest Tiger is, overall, a very nice children's book with several important messages. This book wants children to understand the issues of belonging, but more important than that, The Tiniest Tiger is a book about the importance of conservation as it relates to the world's big cats. From tigers to bobcats, big cats are a threatened species of animal and a concerted effort is needed so that the big cats, much like the little kitten in this book, can eventually find a safe habitat of their own.