Sam and the Tigers

Margaret Bunel Edwards is a free-lance writer and author of several
children’s books.

Today is Sam’s birthday. He is five and wants to be brave but finds it
hard not to be frightened when tigers come to his party. The first wants
his toys, the second his mother’s stuff, the third his baby brother.
They tell him they are going to eat him up. Instead of crying, he says,
“You don’t scare me.” He growls like they do, saying he’ll eat
them instead. The tigers cry out in alarm and being to shrink. Soon they
are small enough to put in a jar and finally they turn into tiger
butter. Sam makes sandwiches with them for the party. When his mother
asks him whether he was afraid, he says, “Yes, at first. But I looked
them straight in the eye and they disappeared.”

This fantasy tale is told with humor and shows how a child can overcome
fears. The text is repetitive in places, a feature children enjoy. The
illustrations are generous with lots of action and unusual detail. A
good gift for four- to five-year-olds.