Our oldest son has an old soul and not just by virtue that he was first born. He can be quite the contemporary child and run with his friends, talk about Star Wars and make up silly stories. There are moments though, as with any child, when his old soul gets the better of him and he just wants to chill out. He’ll doodle, do a connect the dots or a word search while his friends play outside-and that’s OK. Allowing children to find their space and making it OK for them to be in that area is the backbone of Lion & Tiger & Bear: Tag, You’re It!. It’s a book for young readers 5-7 that has big illustrations, fun characters and a timeless vibe that is created by the sum of its parts.
Author and illustrator Ethan Long has a style, a way of capturing the manic energy of a happy animal in a way that really speaks to young readers. His 2015 book Hi! was one of our favorites for the year because of its simplicity. That book mainly consisted of animals saying hello in their native tongue. It’s even more remarkable that Hi! was such a stand out because it was so simple. The book is for kids 1-3, fun to look at and one that our then 3 year old loved to thumb through on his own schedule.
Lion in Lion & Tiger & Bear is an artist and all he wants to do at this moment is paint. He’s got his easel out, paint on the ground but is constantly being bothered by bear or tiger to play tag. It’s a simple premise that is played out very well in a way that kids will understand and learn from, much like our old-soul older son.
It’s not that lion doesn’t want to play, he just doesn’t want to play now because he’s engrossed in his craft. If there’s anything that the parent of a 4 or 6 year old can testify to it’s don’t get between a focused child and their craft. Lion’s friends chase him around the park, he tries to avoid them using a dotted travel line like Billy from the Family Circus until he finally yells at tiger and bear in the middle of a field.
He agrees to play tag with his two friends once he finishes his painting and they finally agree. Of course, his painting is of all of his friends and he is the one who starts the next game of tag, interrupting the time where lion and bear were admiring his art.
This is a young reader book that a 6 year old should be able to handle. If not they can make out some of the word with just a little assistance from mom or dad. The pictures are adorable and will move the pages forward for the younger readers who can’t make out any of the words and are relying on someone older to read it.
Lion! Tiger! & Bear! Tag! You’re It! is great fun for readers 7 and under. Either its text is one that will be a great refresher or some that young readers are aiming up for. The pictures will hook anyone who enters the book’s orbit and remind kids that it’s OK to have quiet time too.
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