The Picture Book Tigers (with Mini Grey)

The Picture Book Tigers

A few months ago I made some tiger bookmarks for the Bookmark Project, and then I did a tigermark giveaway on Twitter (formerly known as X) asking for favourite children’s tiger tales. I got a lot of suggestions, and discovered that Picture Book Tigers are simultaneously many things. 

One of my Tigermarks

So I thought I’d give you a quick tour of some of the things Picture Book Tigers can be.

Tigers can EAT YOU UP!!

These are tigers who are just plain dangerous and just want to eat you all up (like a shark or a monster might want to). These Tigers tend to get outwitted.  

 In Whatever by William Bee – our boy who cannot be impressed by anything gets entirely eaten - the worst actually happens. 

In I am a Tiger (by Karl Newson and Ross Collins), Mouse is either masquerading as a tiger or genuinely thinks he is one. 

The embattled tiger gets a bit belittled by the unphaseable Mouse.

 

 

The controversial Little Black Sambo is all about outwitting the tiger. It was publishedin 1899, and Helen Bannerman wrote it to entertain her daughters. 

But through the 20th century, the characters' names and the depiction of Little Black Sambo came to be seen as offensive. For more about the history of this, see The Complicated Racial Politics of Little Black Sambo. 

But it has interesting tigers in it: they are obsessed with eating Little Sambo, but also proud and vain and boastful - and pretty stupid.

 

 

I came across it as a child, and what impressed me was how the outwitted tigers spin so fast round a tree that they melt into butter. Could tigers become butter?

The Sambo tigers wearing Sambo's shorts and shoes, looking very marvellous.

At the end, Sambo's mum makes pancakes with the tiger butter: "And then they all sat down to supper. And Black Mumbo ate Twenty-seven pancakes, and Black Jumbo ate Fifty-five, but Little Black Sambo ate a Hundred and Sixty-nine, because he was so hungry." 

Tigers can get their own back

Tipu's Tiger left, and on the right a moving carboard one I made from a kit.

As a child, I hated tigers being portrayed as the baddies. So I loved Tippoo’s Tiger – the tiger getting the upper paw. Finally the tiger wins. It was my favourite thing at the V&A. And it's a gruesome automaton - the betigered European gentleman waves his arm and makes a wailing sound, and the tiger's inner workings roar, powered by bellows.

Wild Tigers

In The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, Aslan the lion is not a tame lion. Mr Beaver says " 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you." Mr. Tumnus also says, "He's wild, you know. Not a tame lion." OK, that's about lions, but it also applies to tigers.

Take Mr Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown: in a Victorianly dressed world of repressed animals, Mr Tiger rips off his clothes and returns to the jungle. Of course, there's always the moment where he goes too far, but then he helps everyone else to embrace their wild side. 

 

 

Mr Tiger gets wilder...

...the moment when he goes a little too far.

Tigers who are really toys or maybe cats

A total favourite is Tigger from Winnie-The-Pooh: a toy tiger come alive, with irrepressible bounciness. 

In There’s a Tiger in the Garden  by Lizzy Stewart, Nora looks again at the ordinary and discovers the extraordinary and that there is a tiger in the garden. Maybe it is an imaginary friend tiger. Maybe it is a cat transformed.  "I’ll believe in you if you believe in me," it says.

 Here is Stripey the House Tiger (also know as Pepper my cat) trying out being on a cheeseboard.

 

 

When I made this Picnic Tiger for AF Harrold's Book of Not Entirely Useful Advice, I didn't realise that I was subconsciously channelling Pepper. Note the Proud Chest.

Incidentally, domestic cats and wild cats all have a pretty similar body plan. This may be because cats are pretty much perfect. For more about this have a look here with Professor Anjali Goswami (14 minutes in):The Speed of Life: A Deep-Time Perspective.

Carpet Tigers

Tigers are bright, stripy and dangerous – but this bold patterning also means that they look like they’re wearing pyjamas or a big furry onesie. This means they can masquerade as soft furnishings.

 

 

In The Tiger Skin Rug by Gerald Rose, a thin scrawny tiger spots a job opportunity as a rug in the Maharaja’s palace. But then eating leftovers makes the tiger a bit too three dimensional to carry off the rug impersonation.

 

 

 

The Lying Carpet by David Lucas contains another carpet-tiger. Is anything it says the truth? A statue of a little girl wants to know what she is; the carpet invents endless possibilities - but what's the truth, what to believe? A bit more about this here. 

 

 

Life of Pi - illustration by Andy Bridge

 

 

 

Stories and the Truth and what to believe are also at the heart of another tiger tale - Life of Pi by Yann Martell...

Tigers also lose things. In The Tiger Who Lost His Stripes by Anthony Paul and Michael Foreman, a gentlemanly tiger has to solve problems to have his stripes returned. 

In Augustus by Catherine Rayner, it's a smile that's gone missing.

 

The missing smile has returned.

Mysterious Strangers

 

The most famous Picture Book Tiger has to be that one who comes to tea. It's a surprise visit from the unknown and untameable. And I think it's about longing. Longing for something exciting to happen in a day stretching dully ahead, a surprise knock on the door. 

 

But also longing for something big and strong and wild - look how Sophie strokes the tiger's tail as it licks up all the water from the tap, just like your cat would:. 

 More about The Tiger Who Came To Tea by Judith Kerr here, and also here.

Longing for tigers, imaginary friend tigers, tiger avatars

Who do you want to be your perfect imaginary friend, your best ever protector and guide? It has to be a tiger.

Illustration by Dave McKean

 Even better, a magical tiger. Tyger by SF Said takes me to the fearfully symmetrical Tyger of William Blake, staring balefully and burning bright.

 

The Sea Tiger by Victoria Turnbull: underwater we find a heart’s desire Protector Tiger, a big brother guardian sea-angel for a little mer-boy.

 

 

(I'm also here mentioning Jim’s Lion, (written by Russell Hoban and illustrated by Alexis Deacon) even though it's a lion. Jim is very ill, and he he needs an avatar to fight fiercely for him, a finder to come for him in his dreams and pull him back to the world when he has a terrifying operation.)

 

 

Tigers can also be the thing that grown-ups can't notice. Look at the magnificent top-hatted tiger reading a comic book in There’s a Tiger on the Train by Mariesa Dulak and Rebecca Cobb. 

Such a big tiger...

 

I mean, a tiger who reads a comic book couldn't possibly hurt you, could it?

I love seeing from the tiger's point of view here.

More here: the author Mariesa Dulak interviewed by Pippa Goodheart.

  In Tiger Lily by Gwen Millward, Lily's imaginary tiger friend gets the blame when, as all tigers seem to do, it eventually goes a step too far into wild rumpus.

The Tiger at the Zoo

My favourite moment from The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell is when young Lucrezia strokes the tigress in her father's menagerie. "The tigress didn't so much pace as pour herself, as if  her very essence was moltten, simmering, like the ooze from a volcano." The tiger's fur is "pliant, warm, soft as down."

The nearest I’ve ever got to a real tiger was at London Zoo. The tiger was just an inch of glass window away. I was baffled by its vivid stripiness, its huge broad head, its colossal paws. And what I really wanted to happen, was for the glass to disappear, and for the tiger to let me, and only me, bury my arms and head in its soft fur, and give it a wild hug.

Tigers seem to be simultaneously avatars, wildness personified, pyjama-wearers, gobblers-up of small boys, mysterious strangers, your heart's desire, your date with destiny, completely unpredictable, jewel bright. Something wild, something longed for, danger just contained, something you dream might love you back – and probably the only place that can really happen…is in picture books. 

 

 

 

Mini's latest book is The Greatest Show on Earth, published by Puffin.

 

Can AI Write a Good Picture Book? Lynne Garner

In my role as a teacher, I’m being encouraged to embrace AI. As my boss say’s “it’s not going away.” So, I recently decided to explore AI and use it as a research tool for a small collection of how-to books I’m working on. The main issue I’ve had with the research the AI has produced is it makes up random URLs to support the information it’s found. This has meant I’ve had to find supporting information to ensure what it has created is correct. So, it’s not saved me any time. But I wondered how good or bad it would be at writing a picture book. So, I opened my usual AI platform and as July is ‘the’ month for being Wild About Wildlife (and I am wild about wildlife) I asked it to:

 

“Write a 1,000-word picture book story over 12 double page spreads based on the national celebration of wild about wildlife month.”

The results were not quite what I’d expected. This is what it generated.

 

Spread 1-2: Introduction

"Every July, a special celebration begins—Wild About Wildlife Month! All around the world, people come together to learn about, protect, and celebrate the amazing creatures that share our planet."

Illustration: A lush forest filled with animals, birds flying, deer grazing, and a river flowing through. 

 

Spread 3-4: The Forest

"In the forest, creatures big and small play important roles. Foxes dash through the trees, rabbits nibble on fresh green leaves, and birds sing beautiful songs from their treetop homes."

Illustration: A close-up of the forest, highlighting different animals like foxes, rabbits, and birds in their natural habitats.

 

Spread 5-6: The Ocean 

"Beneath the waves, the ocean teems with life. Fish of every colour swim gracefully, dolphins leap and play, and sea turtles glide through the deep blue sea. Each one is a treasure of the ocean."

Illustration: A vibrant underwater scene with colourful fish, a playful dolphin, and a majestic sea turtle. 

 

Spread 7-8: The Savanna 

"On the open savanna, mighty elephants roam, lions rest under the shade, zebras gallop across the plains, and giraffes stretch their necks to munch on tall trees. This is their wild kingdom."

Illustration: A vast savanna with elephants, lions, zebras, and giraffes under the bright sun.

 

Spread 9-10: The Mountains 

"High in the mountains, bears forage for berries, eagles soar high in the sky, and mountain goats leap from rock to rock. Life here is rugged and beautiful."

Illustration: Snow-capped mountains with a family of bears, a soaring eagle, and a shy mountain goat. 

 

Spread 11-12: The Desert

"In the desert, where the sun blazes hot, camels trek across sandy dunes, a fennec fox peeks out from its burrow, and cacti bloom with brilliant flowers, showing life thrives even in the driest places."

Illustration: A desert scene with camels, a fennec fox, and blooming cacti under a starry night sky.

 

Spread 13-14: The Rainforest 

"Deep in the rainforest, vibrant parrots chatter, monkeys swing from tree to tree, and sloths move slowly along the branches. This green world is full of wonder."

Illustration: A dense rainforest with colourful parrots, curious monkeys, and a slow-moving sloth. 

 

Spread 15-16: Protecting Wildlife 

"Wild About Wildlife Month reminds us that we can all help protect our wild friends. Planting trees, keeping rivers clean, and respecting animal homes make a big difference."

Illustration: Children planting trees, picking up trash, and observing animals respectfully. 

 

Spread 17-18: Learning and Exploring 

"Learning about wildlife is fun! Reading books, watching videos, and exploring nature helps us understand how important these creatures are to our world."

Illustration: A classroom with children looking at books, a computer showing wildlife videos, and a teacher holding a globe. 

 

Spread 19-20: Families Celebrating 

"Families celebrate together by having picnics in the park, watching birds through binoculars, and even joining wildlife parades. It's a month full of joy and discovery."

Illustration: Families having a picnic in a park, watching birds, and participating in a wildlife-themed parade. 

 

Spread 21-22: Our Wild Planet 

"Our planet is home to so many amazing animals. From the tiniest insects to the largest whales, every creature plays a part in the web of life. Let's celebrate and protect them all!"

Illustration: A globe showing different habitats with animals from each habitat around it. 

 

Spread 23-24: Conclusion 

"As Wild About Wildlife Month comes to an end, remember to carry its spirit in your heart all year long. Let's be kind to animals and the earth, and always stay wild about wildlife!"

Illustration: A beautiful sunset over a landscape filled with diverse wildlife, a rainbow in the sky. 

 

Back Cover:

"Join the adventure! Celebrate the beauty and importance of wildlife with this colourful journey through different habitats. Let's protect and cherish our wild friends every day!"

Illustration: A montage of various animals from the book with the words "Wild About Wildlife" prominently displayed. 

 

As you can see it’s not a story. There’s no character having to resolve a problem. No story arc. No use of the magic number three. No nice surprise plot twist or resolution and some of the text feels a bit preachy.

 

But what it has produced is the possibility of a non-fiction picture book. Perhaps the text from the first page could become part of my book blub:

 

Every July, a special celebration begins—Wild About Wildlife Month!

All around the world, people come together to learn about, protect,

and celebrate the amazing creatures that share our planet."

 

Perhaps I’d use this or something based on this from pages 21/22 as my opening double page spread:

 

Illustration: A globe showing different habitats with animals from each habitat around it.

 

“Our planet is home to so many amazing animals. From the tiniest insects to the largest whales, every creature plays a part in the web of life.”

 

I’d then explore some of the habitats already highlighted. But I’d expand it and explore all of the habitat’s found on this wondrous planet. Perhaps I’d work on the idea of the web of life for each of the habitats, which is mentioned in spread 21/22.

 

Or…

 

Perhaps I could create a character who is wild about wildlife and travels the world and explores each habitat in a stand-alone book. Oh, I’ve just created a series. Perhaps they solve a wildlife issue. Maybe like this wonderful man who provides new homes for hermit crabs who have been forced to make homes from our rubbish. Check him out below: 

So although what was generated wasn’t what I wanted or expected it has generated something I could work with.

 

My conclusion from this experiment is I’m not too worried about AI at the moment. But as it progresses, I may change my mind and worry writers will become the endangered species.

 

However, I wonder if will it ever be able to make the leaps I’ve made whilst writing this post? I wanted a stand-alone picture book story but I've ended up with an entire non-fiction series. 

 

If there’s an editor out there looking for a new non-fiction series, please feel free to contact me. 😁

Last but not least how do you feel about AI and picture books?