Book Review: A Tiger Called Tomas by Charlotte Zolotow, Marta Alvarez Miguens

A Tiger Called Tomas is a picturebook written by Charlotte Zolotow and illustrated by Marta Alvarez Miguens. The original version of this book, A Tiger Called Thomas was published in 1963, and it has been updated and changed three other times, changing the appearance and race of Thomas and his neighbors to make it more inclusive and relatable to a variety of readers. In this incarnation the shy Tomas is Latino with some Spanish woven through the story so yet another group of children can see someone like themselves on the page.

A Tiger Called Tomas is a lovely story about a young boy that is very shy. He is too anxious to go introduce himself to neighbors, and is worries that they will not like him. As someone that has always had that kind of underlying conversation in the back of my own mind, I could empathize and relate to young Tomas. It is only when he is safely hidden behind his Halloween mask that he feels brave enough to go and interact with the people his family has been encouraging him to talk to through the whole book. This is a sweet and relatable story, and I think that any shy readers will be able to see themselves on the page- and those that do no understand that reluctance to put themselves out there might gain a little understand of how a shy person feels. This would be a great conversation starter about personalities and how we are all different, and kindness toward others. I would love the chance to see all four incarnations of this book together to see how wording changes and each illustrator made the book a little different.

Book Review: A Friendly Town That's Almost Always by the Ocean (Secrets of Topsea) by Kir Fox, M. Shelley Coats, Rachel Sanson

A Friendly Town That's Almost Always by the Ocean is a middle grade novel written by Kir Fox, M. Shelley Coats. It was illustrated by Rachel Sanson. In Topsea the coves are bottomless and the pier has no end in sight. There's a high tide and a low tide and a vanishing tide. Dogs are a myth, but mermaids are totally real. And seaweed is the main ingredient in every meal-watch out, it might just start chewing you back!

New kid Davy definitely thinks Topsea is strange. His mom keeps saying they'll get used to life in their new town-it's just the way things are on the coast! But after his first day at Topsea School, Davy finds himself wondering: Why is his locker all the way at the bottom of the school swimming pool? Why can't anyone remember his name? (It's Davy!) And why does everyone act like all of this is normal?! Through newspaper articles, stories, surveys, notifications, and more, follow Davy and the rest of Ms. Grimalkin's fifth grade class through the weird world of Topsea. (Whatever you do, don't make eye contact with the rubber ducks.)

A Friendly Town That's Almost Always by the Ocean is a story that is not only about a very strange town, and the unusual activity in it. It is also about finding your interests and yourself. I like that Davy seems like a perfectly normal boy, just trying to deal with all the recent changes in his life and move forward. He needs to deal with the loss of his father, and moving to a new town- something that many will be able to relate to in one way or another. However, to make settling in a bit harder the town and school are more than a little odd. A school locker at the bottom of the swimming pool, creepy cats, odd classes, and dogs being a myth are only the start of the oddities. Normal problems like being heard when you are small and friends with bigger personalities, being believed when you like to exaggerate, and other friendship dynamics are all within the pages as well. The balance of mundane and ridiculous keep the story fun and forward moving while still getting to the heart of the matter with fitting in and friendships. The artwork adds an extra layer of fun and details to the story, engaging readers even further in the story. I think this will be a great read, and think it might appeal to struggling or reluctant readers as well as more advanced readers.

A Friendly Town That's Almost Always by the Ocean is a fun and quirky read. I enjoyed the odd little town and unique characters. I think I need to explore this series further.