The Tiger Who Came to Tea Pop-Up Book Review

I picked up this book and decided it would be a great one to review since The Tiger Who Came to Tea is a well-known classic. I remember reading it as a child myself!

So before I started writing my review I thought I would sit down with my four year old and have a read, just to get a feel for what a young child would think of it, and trust me when I say this, my little one is very vocal and will let you know what she thinks!… I will let you know what she thought of it a little later…

So let’s begin! The Tiger Who Came to Tea is about a tiger that is invited in to a house, eats and drinks everything in the house but the family think, “No worries! We’ll just go out to eat tonight!” Yes, very odd but that’s it in a nutshell. The tiger eats all the sandwiches and all the buns, the tiger drinks all the milk and the tea then empties the cupboards and even drinks the tap dry! Now there is nothing to cook for dinner but daddy saves the day and takes the family out for something to eat… well, that’s all ok then! J

Sophie is the little girl in the story who follows the tiger around the house while the tiger, in its anarchic way, creates chaos in her home. She is completely oblivious to the chaos….. she is just absolutely delighted, amazed and extremely curious about her guest.

There are definitely some important lessons to be learnt here:

1. Don’t drink the tap dry or you won’t be able to take a bath later!
2. Don’t drink straight from the teapot, it’s very unmannerly!
3. Always keep a tin of tiger food at home just in case a tiger decides to visit!

Ok, ok… I know, they’re not really lessons to be learnt but I actually couldn’t think of any! While reading the story you think something’s going to happen when you get to the end but nothing happens! It falls a bit flat and seems a little pointless. So, when my little one listened, intrigued, waiting to see what happens at the end, it’s no surprise when all she does is actually get up and walk away! Yes, I was shocked too. Remember I told you she is very vocal like most 4 year olds. She had nothing to say. Now, that doesn’t mean it’s a complete waste of a read, I just don’t think it makes a very good bedtime story. My little one was however, completely fascinated by this particular edition because it is a pop-up book and the pop-ups work wonderfully. She loved to pull on the little flaps and watch the tiger move its head side to side while it guzzles all the tap water, and how at the turn of a page an entire kitchen pops up! You cannot fault the way the original, although dated, illustrations have been used to produce the pop-ups. It really does allow the child-reader to interact with the book.

I would recommend this book be read to a class of nursery or reception year children as it a great resource for exploring the EYFS Framework. Children love to role-play and it’s a great way of getting the children to play the different characters, change dialogue and adapt the story. It’s also an excellent book for exploring Knowledge and Understanding of the World. The story is based on a traditional family and looks at the home and family life. It’s a great starting point for discussing other types of families, family values and the different roles within the family.

However, the story is gender-biased. You have a mum who stays at home and is worrying about what to cook for daddy now the tiger has eaten everything, the milkman, the grocery delivery boy and daddy who comes home from work and has a solution to the problem! Now any woman could solve that problem, don’t you think? I mean, who would rather cook than be taken out for dinner? Right? Anyway, although it is gender-biased, it allows children to question these roles.

I reckon any child would be excited by the idea of a wild animal coming for tea! We can use questioning to build on this excitement and imagination… here are some questions you could ask to get them thinking…

1. Where did the tiger come from?
2. Where do you think the tiger will go next?
3. Why didn’t the tiger come back?
4. What would you do if a tiger came to your house?
5. What wild animal would you invite to your house and why?
6. Do you think the tiger was polite? Did he use his manners?
7. What do you think Sophie and her family should have done?
8. Do you think the tiger should have shared? Why?

After dithering over whether I like this book or not… I’m still not too sure. I suppose it depends on who’s listening. Secretly, I think it’s about a little girl who would love to eat out so she fantasises about a tiger eating everything so they can go out for dinner. I’m surprised my kids haven’t used that excuse yet! What do you think?