Don't Wake Up the Tiger by Britta Teckentrup

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 Don't Wake Up the Tiger is the sixth book by Britta Teckentrup that I have reviewed and she has become a favorite author/illustrator I seek out. Born in Germany and attending art school in London, I appreciate the European sensibility that Teckentrup brings to her picture books, from story to palette to varied illustration styles. With Don't Wake Up the Tiger, Teckentrup plays with an interactive story that has a happy surprise at the end.

Tiger is fast asleep and shouldn't be woken up, but she's in the way! Her friends, Stork, Fox, Frog, Turtle and Mouse are in a hurry and they have a big bunch of balloons to carry. How can they get past her without waking up?


The clever animals try floating over Tiger first, with the narrator asking listeners to help make sure she stays asleep by petting her nose or patting her tummy. Sometimes readers even have to blow and blow to get the balloons to float over Tiger and rock the book back and forth to get her back to sleep. A white background makes Teckentrup's animals pop off the page, each one of which features tiger stretched out across the bottom. The palette in Don't Wake Up Tiger is muted, except for the bunch of balloons, which are bright primary colors and printed with a glossy, shiny ink. A misstep by Stork pops the big blue balloon and wakes Tiger up, but it's o.k. - it's time for her surprise birthday party!


More Books by Britta Teckentrup:


Up & Down


Before I Wake Up


Busy Bunny Days


The Odd One Out        Where's the Pair?


Source: Review Copy




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