By Janet Wong, for The Children’s Book Review
Published: May 31, 2011
A haunting photo of an emaciated tiger in one of China’s “tiger parks” inspired author Janet Wong to write Once Upon A Tiger: New Beginnings for Endangered Animals, illustrated by talented artist Sladjana Vasic. But Wong didn’t want to frighten or upset young readers; she wanted simply to encourage children to wonder about endangered animals, to think about their unique qualities and, through learning, to come to care about them.
Wong’s approach: writing silly “pourquoi tale” creation poems musing about how the tiger got her stripes (answer: from eating too many zebras), how the elephant got such handy “fingers” at the tip of his trunk (because a monkey climbed into his trunk), how a cat became the first panda (the Chinese word for panda is “bear cat”), and so on. This collection of 10 imagination-stretching poems is accompanied by thought-provoking nonfiction notes, as well as resource links to wildlife conservation groups.
Share your love for endangered animals with your child by reading this book and talking about it together—especially before a trip to the zoo, to encourage your child to look more closely at the animals. Available in eBook format in the Kindle store at amazon.com and the Nook store at bn.com.
For more information, visit: www.OnceUponATiger.com
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