Is This a Tiger?

Alex's Field Guides #2

by Elina Ellis

Today, Alex is going to help her friend Atticus spot a real tiger in the wild. Atticus has never seen a tiger before, but Alex knows everything about tigers. She’s even made her own field guide about them, which she uses to explain to Atticus what to look for: stripes, big teeth, nocturnal! But each new fact only leads Atticus to a different (and wrong) animal! When he hopefully asks, “Is this a tiger?” he’s disappointed to discover that, though it meets the criteria, it’s not! Will these two intrepid explorers ever manage to find a tiger?

This clever picture book series from author and illustrator Elina Ellis provides child-friendly introductions to animal identification, while also serving as a subtle reminder about the disappearance of endangered animals. In each story, Alex shares her knowledge of an endangered animal, while the characters struggle to find one in the wild. With this story, young children will love outsmarting Atticus as they shout “No!” every time he asks if he’s found an elusive tiger. Spreads from Alex’s field guide are loaded with tiger facts. Further information about tigers and the other animals that appear in the book are also included. This book promotes critical thinking and age-appropriate conversations about perspective and drawing premature conclusions. It offers excellent tie-ins to life science lessons on the characteristics and diversity of living things.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 3, 2024

Reviews

[Jasmine from How Useful It Is · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for my toddler's bedtime. Readers followed Alex and Atticus. Atticus doesn't know how a Tiger looks like. Alex has her handy dandy Tiger journal. As they went out to explore, Alex read from her journal that tigers have stripes. Atticus pointed out to zebra and numbat and stripy cats and asked if they were tigers. Alex read from her journal that tigers have big teeth. Atticus pointed at shark, hippo, warthog, and walrus for their big teeth if they were tigers. While exploring, there are pages of facts about tigers, the sounds they make, what they eat, whether there are any tigers that are endangered, etc. This book is excellent for kids! I would have preferred the names of the other animals Atticus mistaken for tigers be next to their pictures within the story instead of a list of mugshot at the end of the book. However, I enjoyed the illustrations. Great story! Will have to read again!

Thank you Kids Can Press for the opportunity to read and review!

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's this girl wearing large hat, and she's called Alex (excellent name, douze points), and she has a reeaaaally good idea of what it constitutes to be a tiger. She has noted this down in a field guide, together with a whole bunch of tiger facts (there are no tigers on the continent of Africa - I had no idea).

Now to find a tiger! Luckily Alex has a friend, a boy called Atticus (excellent name, no Alex though), who is there to help her. A wide swathe of animals present themselves (including a large, goofy looking shark), and Atticus and Alex put the field guide to good use, quickly identifying these animals as non-tigers.

It's a fun ride, the pages with tiger facts are genuinely interesting. The art is excruciatingly cute.

(Picked up a review copy through Edelweiss)

[The Sassy Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Review: Is This a Tiger? by Elina Ellis

Rating: 5 Stars

As an avid reader and a lover of children's literature, I recently had the pleasure to review "Is This a Tiger? by Elina Ellis", and I'm so glad I did! This delightful picture book is not only cute but also incredibly educational, making it a perfect addition to any child's bookshelf.

The story follows our enthusiastic protagonist, Alex, who sets out on an adventure with her friend Atticus to spot a real tiger in the wild. Atticus, who has never seen a tiger before, relies on Alex's extensive knowledge. Armed with her self-made field guide, Alex shares fascinating facts about tigers—like their striking stripes, big teeth, and nocturnal habits. However, every time Atticus excitedly asks, "Is this a tiger?" he is met with disappointment as he mistakenly identifies various other animals. The suspense builds as readers wonder whether these two explorers will ever find the elusive tiger!

This was a super cute read! The layout of "Is This a Tiger?" is one of its standout features. The design seamlessly alternates between the characters' adventure and the informative spreads from Alex's field journal. This clever format keeps kids engaged and allows them to learn while they read. The illustrations are another highlight. Bright, vibrant, and fun. Ellis’s artwork strikes the perfect balance. What I found particularly smart was the inclusion of fun facts about not just tigers but all the animals featured throughout the book. This approach offers young readers a well-rounded learning experience and encourages curiosity about wildlife.

Overall, Is This a Tiger? is an engaging read that promotes critical thinking and sparks important conversations about perspective and making conclusions. I can see children having so much fun reading this book, eagerly shouting "No!" each time Atticus misidentifies an animal. It’s a fantastic way to introduce kids to life science lessons while keeping them entertained.

If you're looking for an enchanting and educational picture book that your little ones will love, I highly recommend picking up Is This a Tiger? You won't be disappointed!

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️

[Reading Adventures · Rating 5 out of 5]

Positively adorable! That's the best way I know to tell you about this cute little story. This book is teaching us about endangered animals in the most adorable and silly way.Atticus has never seen a tiger. Alex knows everything about tigers and wants to teach Atticus. Each time Atticus thinks they have found a tiger we have to tell him no! I don’t want to give this fun story away. The illustrations are so fun and creative. They add to the fun of the story. It is the perfect discovery with your littles kind of story. You will laugh and learn. We also get more information about tigers at the end. This is great for the animal lover in your world.
This was an ebook ARC for us but we will be rushing to add this to our home library. It is fast becoming a favorite. Enjoy this adventure together.

[Carol Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is This a Tiger? is a charming, child-centric story about a little girl (Alex) trying to teach her friend Atticus how to identify a tiger. Alex assures the reader that she knows "everything about tigers" and proceeds to teach Atticus that they have stripes and big teeth and are nocturnal. She has even written a journal about them, and is very patient as Atticus keeps mis-identifying other animals. The illustrations are quirky and fun, and the story lends itself to interactive discussion between reader and child. At the end of the story, all the other animals that Atticus has encountered are identified, along with a picture and a fact about each one. There is also an addendum discussing the endangered-species status of tigers and some resources children can refer to if they want to get involved in efforts to protect them. A great book for classroom or home use.

[Shan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute! The layout/organization of this book was very clever, and worked well (switching between different animals being found and the field journal). Additionally, the illustrations were perfect for this book. The colors were vibrant, but not too overwhelming, and the animals were cartoonish while still being accurate, bringing the educational aspect of the book even further. Lastly, it was such a smart idea for the author to include many facts about tigers throughout the entire book, but also to include fun facts about *every* animal shown in the book, too. This gives young readers a more well-rounded reading/learning experience. Kids will have so much fun reading this book.
Well done!

[Andreea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for the opportunity to read and review this picture book.

I loved the first book in this series so I kinda knew that I will absolutely adore the second one too! As expected, it was hilarious and it made me laugh out loud. Usually kids picture books are funny, but it only gets the little ones giggling - except Elina Ellis can me giggle too.

What I love about this series, apart from the humour and the amazing illustrations, is how informative the books actually are. It teaches the little ones facts about animals in an interactive fun way.

Have I mentioned the stunning illustrations? It really keeps you entertained while looking for the tiger. I loved it!

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is a tiger, and what do they look like? This little team is out to look for a tiger, and share in some fun along the way. While there are many animals that have some of the features of a tiger, there is only one that has them all!

This is a great little read for kids, with some great facts and illustrations to keep young ones busy! I highly recommend this book. Learn about the tiger, where they live, what they eat, how they hunt, and so much more!

Thank you to Kids Can Press and Edelweiss for an advanced copy of this book for my unbiased review.

[Jaymie · Rating 4 out of 5]

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

4 stars = Great!

I love this darling series. Alex's field guides are the star of these books. I could see teachers using these to guide students into making their own field guides. Librarians, parents, and homeschoolers could do this too. I learned several things I didn't know about tigers from reading this. The artwork is darling. Pair this with the first book, and be sure to snap up any future additions to this series.

[Tasha Mutter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute and informational book about tigers. There is nothing better than a book has a story for the fun side, but is also informational as well. This little book follows a Alex who knows a lot about tigers and has made a journal about them. Alex is helping Atticus learn about them and hopefully find one. A lot of animals are explored, but each time they stop to check the journal, there is a ton of information about tigers.

Thank you Elina Ellis, NetGalley, and Kids Can Press for allowing my family to review.

[Amanda Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful edition to a wonderful series. In Alex’ second friend guide she is trying to show a tiger to her friend. She describes a tiger one feature at a time. They find lots of creatures with the one feature, but they have a hard time finding the one animal that has all the features they are looking for. Along the way they meet many interesting creatures and learn a lot about tigers from Alex’ journal. The illustrations are wonderful and the facts are fascinating. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

[Nicole Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book for my honest opinion.

I thought this was a really cute way for kids to learn about tigers and also compare them to other animals. I loved both Alex and Atticus and their quest to find a tiger. It was also a great way to gently talk about tigers being endangered without being depressed. Lastly, the backmatter was great to see with wonderful references for anyone interested in tigers and helping them stay on our world.

[Benjamin Shurance · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a smart, whimsical book which combines a sense of discovery with information on the world's most majestic animal* (this has been my opinion since I did a report on tigers in 5th grade). The illustrations are a fun, hand-drawn style I really appreciate.

*well, after humans.

Note: I received an advanced download copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Rosie✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so cute and as a teacher I will definitely will be reading and recommending this to my students and their parents. This book was so informative and so fun! I loved the aspect of seeing so many other animals in this book too!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't love the art style, but great tiger facts.

[Donna Maguire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought that this book was great!

It was well laid out, the text was nice, bright and clear and the illustrations were wonderful!

The book was fun and great for kids to read and get involved with. I loved the additions of the facts which really made the book stand out from others in the market for me and it is one that I would definitely recommend - it is all really well done

It is 5 stars from me for this one, I didn't read the first in the series and this is fine as a stand alone - very highly recommended!

[Jacqueline Nyathi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alex and Atticus are on a quest to identify a tiger. Alex has a tiger journal, and she helps Atticus by telling him about tiger characteristics. A very smart and fun, brilliantly illustrated book to teach young readers about classification and how to identify different animals, while encouraging interaction. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to Kids Can Press and Edelweiss for access to an early DRC.