Blog Tour & Giveaway for A Tiger Like Me by Michael Engler & Illustrated by Joelle Tourlonias

Beagles and Books is excited to be part of the blog tour for A Tiger Like Me written by Michael Engler and illustrated by Joelle Tourlonias. Translated by Laura Watkinson, A Tiger Like Me is published by Amazon Crossing Kids, a new imprint for children’s books in translation. Special thanks to Amazon Crossing Kids and Barbara Fisch of Blue Slip Media for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review:
Parents and teachers know the importance of imagination-driven play in building a child’s developmental skills. A Tiger Like Me tells the story of a little boy engaging in pretend play as a tiger from morning until night.

Narrated by the little boy, he shares his actions, thoughts, and feelings as he moves through typical daily activities in the body and mind of a tiger. When he wakes up, he yawns, stretches and lets out a loud roar. At breakfast, he leaps up to his feeding spot to eat. When he plays, he jumps and pounces. Spying a cake on the kitchen table, he lurks and prowls so he will go unnoticed. And tigers refuse to brush their teeth or take baths so the little boy shows he can be not only quick but also headstrong.

Although tigers are usually solitary animals, this tiger enjoys time with his family, for he and his parents engage in arts and crafts making tigers of course! And when it is time for the little tiger to go back to his den, he decides that it is more fun to cuddle and snuggle with mom and dad.

Young children will roar with delight when listening to a read aloud of A Tiger Like Me. What I especially liked about this story is while the text conveyed the little boy’s imagination, the illustrations showed reality. I also appreciated that the boy’s parents accepted his extended pretend play. When he made a poor choice, he was sent to his room as a consequence but they never squelched his imagination.

A Tiger Like Me publishes on September 1, 2019.

Meet the Author, Illustrator and Translator:

Michael Engler studied visual communication in Düsseldorf, Germany, and first worked as a scriptwriter and illustrator. He then spent several years as an art director at advertising agencies. He is currently a freelance author in Düsseldorf, writing children’s books and plays for the theater and radio. He has written more than fifteen children’s books. Learn more about him online at www.michaelengler.com.

Joëlle Tourlonias was born in Hanau, Germany, and studied visual communication with an emphasis on illustration and painting at the Bauhaus University Weimar. She is the illustrator of more than thirty children’s books. She continues to draw, paint, and live in Düsseldorf. Learn more about her online at www.joelletourlonias.blogspot.com.

Laura Watkinson is an award-winning translator of books for young readers and adults. She is a three-time winner of the Batchelder Award and also won the Vondel Prize for Dutch-English translation. Originally from the United Kingdom, she now lives in Amsterdam. Learn more online at www.laurawatkinson.com.

A Tiger Like Me Giveaway!

One lucky winner will receive courtesy of Amazon Crossing Kids (U.S. addresses only). Enter the giveaway below by Thursday, August 29, 2019 at 8 p.m. Winner will be notified on Friday, August 30, 2019.