When you Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller

I used to be able to talk to her. I used to tell her everything. If this had happened a few years ago, 

I would have said, I JUST SAW A TIGER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. 

I would’ve shouted it right into her ear because I couldn’t hold it in.

Mum and her two daughters - Lilly and Sam - are moving back to live with their grandmother or halmoni (grandmother in Korean). Very gradually we are given some brief details that dad has died in a car accident. This move will be a new start for the family but more importantly it is clear Halmoni is unwell. 

Halmoni buys rice and pine nuts and herbs to cast magic, she feeds spirits, she believes in all the things you cannot see. She lives in a house at the top of a hill, a house covered in vines, with windows that watch like unblinking eyes. She is a witch, looming over the town, like something out of a fairy tale. She’s not normal. I’m not normal.

On their journey Lilly sees some thing very frightening. She knows her grandmother has told the girls stories about tigers. And now she has seen one.

I gaze out the windshield. The landscape that slips by is peaceful. Gray stone houses, green grass, gray restaurants, green forest. The colors of Sunbeam blur together: gray, green, gray, green—and then orange, black. I sit up, trying to make sense of the new colors. There’s a creature lying on the road ahead. It’s a giant cat, with its head resting on its paws. No. Not just a giant cat. A tiger.

When they arrive at the house Lilly encounters the tiger again. She makes a bargain with Lilly. If Lilly returns the stars that were trapped in jars by Halmoni then the tiger will restore Halmoni to good health. Halmoni has told Lilly the story of the Tiger and the stars. 

“I am the littlest girl in the littlest village, and I am sneaky. I hide outside the caves and wait until the tigers fall asleep, until their snores echo through the land. And then I get to work, grabbing the stars—the bad stories—in my fists, stuffing them into jars.”

“I seal jars up. Then I tiptoe away from cave, so soft, hush-hush. Before I leave, I think, I be extra safe. I make sure they don’t follow. So I take rocks from the forest, one by one, and stack them at the mouth of the cave, until they make a wall. Big, heavy wall. Until the tigers trapped inside.”

“Nothing last forever, Lily. Tigers break free. The tigers very angry. Now they coming for me. ... “They hunting me now. They don’t stop hunting.”

Lilly finds the important jars but then she has to work out how to trap the tiger in the basement. The family now live across the road from the library, so Lilly decides to go there to find out how to trap a tiger. In the library she meets a boy named Ricky. He will prove to be a new friend and a boy who can help Lilly navigate this complex time, but will she be able to trap the tiger in time? There are three jars and three stories the Tiger could tell Lilly. Sam calls her sister a QAG - quiet Asian girl - but Lilly has to find a way to break away from this label or stereotype because she is sure she is the only one who will be about to save her halmoni. And of course time is running out.

Blurb from the author page: Would you make a deal with a tiger? When Lily and her family move in with her sick grandmother, a magical tiger straight out of her halmoni’s Korean folktales arrives, prompting Lily to unravel a secret family history.   Long, long ago, Halmoni stole something from the tigers. Now, the tigers want it back. And when one of those tigers approaches Lily with a deal—return what Halmoni stole in exchange for Halmoni's health—Lily is tempted to accept. But deals with tigers are never what they seem! With the help of her sister and her new friend Ricky, Lily must find her voice… and the courage to face a tiger.

Opening sentences:

I can turn invisible. It’s a superpower, or at least a secret power. But it’s not like in the movies, and I’m not a superhero, so don’t start thinking that. Heroes are the stars who save the day. I just—disappear. See, I didn’t know, at first, that I had this magic. I just knew that teachers forgot my name, and kids didn’t ask me to play, and one time, at the end of fourth grade, a boy in my class frowned at me and said, Where did you come from? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before. I used to hate being invisible. But now I understand: it’s because I’m magic.

Keller infuses this tale, which explores both the end of life and coming-of-age, with a sensitive examination of immigration issues and the complexity of home. It is at one and the same time completely American and thoroughly informed by Korean culture. Longing—for connection, for family, for a voice—roars to life with just a touch of magic. Kirkus Star review

There is one sentence that made me gasp in this story. Over five days eleven years ago this week I sat with my mother as she was dying. Someone told me the last sense to go is hearing and so I said the same words that Lilly said to her halmoni reassuring my little mum that I too would be okay:

“It’s okay,” I whisper, leaning so close to Halmoni that my lips brush her ear. I close my eyes and breathe. Sometimes, the bravest thing is to stop running. “It’s okay if you go. We will be all right.”

I gave When you trap a Tiger four stars - I think this is because I just read a similar book or at least one with a similar plot involving a young child and their grandmother - Children of the Quicksands by Efua Traore. This meant I wasn't quite in the mood for another book of magical realism and cultural folktales even though When you Trap a Tiger is Korean and Children of the Quicksands is set in Nigeria. I did enjoy, in this latest book, the way Lilly grew in strength and also her determination in the face of terrible fear that she could and must help her grandmother. The final scene I described above also deeply moved me. I think this book is for readers aged 10+ with good reading stamina and for readers who have experienced books like this one previously. Ricky is also an interesting character. At first I thought he might have ADHD or be on the autism spectrum but then later in the story we discover he has lots of friends at school. I did find the early scene in the supermarket where his father berates him unresolved and therefore a little confusing. This may be because I read those parts a little too quickly.

When you trap a tiger won the Newbery Medal. You can see other books by Tae Keller here. If you enjoy books with folk tales woven into the narrative you might also look for these:

Where the mountain meets the moon

Zadie Ma and the Dog who Chased the Moon

A Glasshouse of Stars

The Fix-it man by Dimity Powell illustrated by Nicky Johnston

I had not seen this book from 2017. I picked it up at the library where I volunteer at Westmead Children's Hospital.  The little girl loves the way her dad can repair things but what about mum? At first we see her sitting and watching as the girl and her dad work together. You might notice mum has a rug over her knees and a scarf tied over her hair perhaps showing she has been having chemotherapy. 

"She's too sore on the inside to help us, but her fingers still work fine."

Closer look shows mum is adding ribbons to a hoop. 

"Dad makes Mama's bad days better too, with his soothing peach and honey brew."

The teapot breaks but dad is able to mend it - well it is almost as good as new - but then on turning the page (even though the text does not directly say the words) we know her Mama has died. On early pages the picture frames in the lounge room are filled with happy images of their family of three. Now the page is monotone, and the picture frames are empty. Mum's wool basket sits to one side untouched. Tea does spill out of the teapot - the cracks are too wide - just like the cracks in their hearts.

Bookseller blurb: It's handy having a dad who can fix just about anything. A young girl believes her father is the king of fixing things, but following the death of her mother, she discovers that broken hearts are not as easy to repair as damaged toys and cracked teapots. Together, she and her father find a way to glue back the pieces of their lives. The Fix-It Man is a poignant picture book that explores how a child can cope with the loss of a parent (in this case, the young girl's mother). Repairing damaged emotions is not as straightforward as gluing a broken kite back together or sewing up a torn toy. And grief affects all members of a family, with each responding in their own way to the loss. By sticking with her father, the young girl is able to strengthen her resilience and ability to cope with one of life's harshest experiences.

This is a book where the cover does not really hint at the content - this is a book adults should read first to check your child is ready for this story which deals with the illness and death of a parent. Please take a minute to read my previous post about books that deal with death and the timing for reading them. Read what Dimity Powell says about her book. From her link you can also read a large number of review comments. Here is a link to the trailer - the soundtrack might make you cry now that you know that the mum has died. 

This is a poignant story of loss and one that will resonate with many children who have lost a parent or other loved one.  With its gentle text and soft palette, even though it is sad it is not gloomy because the love between this family oozes from the page and from that, the hope is tangible. ... Grief is a natural part of life and while we might like to protect our children from it, nevertheless it happens and we often struggle helping them to cope with their loss.  This book allows conversations to start and explores the way it is an emotion that we each express and deal with in our own way. The Bottom Shelf

Bedtime Story by Chloe Hooper

"If I squint, I can almost see it, this perfect children's picture book of death ... "

"Can practising pain on the page circumvent it in real life?"

"Sometimes we sneak a look at the last page of a book to see if it's safe to read on. 

We want to find out if the protagonist survives"

In the city today I walked past a very eye-catching display window of a large city bookstore. The featured book was Bedtime Story and while I had not heard of the author (because I mostly read children's books) the illustrator and title caught my eye. 

Inside the store I picked up the book (which was strategically placed right beside the door) and I read the glowing endorsements - one by a children's author:

'Deeply engrossing and honest, human, full of love and tenderness, with moments of sparkling humour in the struggle. I loved everything about Bedtime Story. I loved particularly what it taught me about authors who write for children, the ways that writing and reading provides compensation, balancing the scales between loss and love.’ Sophie Laguna

So yes I purchased Bedtime Story (oddly I had decided not to buy any books today in the city!).

You do need to know this is an adult book. YES I actually read an adult book (my second one this year) and I read the whole book in just over two hours in one sitting. 

Here is the publisher blurb (Simon and Schuster): When Chloe Hooper’s partner is diagnosed with a rare and aggressive illness, she has to find a way to tell their two young sons. By instinct, she turns to the bookshelf. Can the news be broken as a bedtime tale? Is there a perfect book to prepare children for loss? Hooper embarks on a quest to find what practical lessons children’s literature—with its innocent orphans and evil adults, magic, monsters and anthropomorphic animals—can teach about grief and resilience in real life. From the Brothers Grimm to Frances Hodgson Burnett and Tolkien and Dahl—all of whom suffered childhood bereavements—she follows the breadcrumbs of the world’s favourite authors, searching for the deep wisdom in their books and lives. Both memoir and manual, Bedtime Story is stunningly illustrated by the New York Times award-winning Anna Walker. In an age of worldwide uncertainty, here is a profound and moving exploration of the dark and light of storytelling.

Read more about this book:

The Conversation May 5th, 2022

Sydney Morning Herald 28th April, 2022

Readings (Melbourne)

This book is illustrated by Anna Walker. Here is a video where you can see Anna creating illustrations for this book.

So what do I think? Clearly Chloe Hooper has done a huge amount of research both in her search for picture books to read to her two young sons and later about the lives and young grief of many classic children's authors. These include CS Lewis; Eric Carle; JM Barrie; Kenneth Grahame; JK Rowling; and JRR Tolkein. I certainly discovered some interesting things about the childhood experiences of these authors and the way their personal grief influenced their writing. There are also lots of fairy tale references in this book (some I will need to investigate further). I enjoyed the 'academic' aspects of this book and also the very personal journey she describes as the family navigate their cancer journey. 

What I wanted from this book? The first half of this book is about the search for a picture book to read to her sons. I wanted to know which books she found and which books she thought might be useful and of course which books she really did not like. 

"I began to imagine a book that I will find to read to you. It will be written simply, clearly; gently levering open a crushing conversation, with each illustration capturing some essential poetry. Perhaps these images are black and white, before colour rushes in towards the end, with golden, hope-flecked fireworks blooming on the last page. A finale signalling that this will one day be bearable, there will be grace. And meanwhile, the text won't have said too much or too little providing us, wonderfully, with a map of how to survive."

Chloe Hooper dismisses books which feature the death of a pet or an elderly grandparent but I do think reading some of these may have been very worthwhile. Chloe says she did not want books as described here:

"Sure, a child's pet cat dies. Or an anthropomorphised pig grandmother is carefully phased out."

I disagree. Take a look at my post about The Last Goodbye and in particular watch this video by a grief therapist. 

By the way I guess her pig reference might be this book (which I adore).

I said in my post: Old Pig is a very beautiful story about our life journey and the way that journey might end. Old Pig is preparing to die. Ron Brooks has created very gentle illustrations. This is a book to read slowly and it is also a book that, if read at the right time, may help a child make sense of the journey we all travel in our lives.

Chloe Hooper does mention a few children's picture books: Leaf Litter by Rachel Tonkin; Duck, Death and the Tulip by Wolf Erlbruch (Kirkus review); Michael Rosen's Sad book; and The Memory Tree by Britta Teckentrup (here is a review by Little Parachutes). 

"But the truth is, half of this collection is still in my study and I haven't actually read them to you or your brother. Often a book will seem too hot or too cold, too hard or too soft. That or there's a threshold I can't cross."

My wise friend from Kinderbookswitheverything has an extensive Pinterest collection of books on the topic of death and grief.  We both firmly believe it is not appropriate to share these books over the days close to the death of a family member but rather to read some just naturally as a part of your regular book sharing routine. Here are a few books I would like to share with Chloe as an adult reader but not necessarily books to share with her two precious children because some of these are not the right books for these circumstances:

A Last Goodbye

Fox: A Circle of Life Story

Two questions: On page 55 Chloe Hooper mentions a Grade One read her son bought home about Hercules - I would love to have seen the bibliographic details listed at the back of the book.

At the start of chapter 7 Chloe Hooper says her son's Kindy teacher read the class an alphabet book which listed I is for Iliad.  I recently completed a talk for IBBY Australia about Alphabet books so I am very curious about the title of this one. 

"A group of six-year-olds ... heard about the Trojans surging up the beach to set the Greek ships alight. Bloody battles every day, gore strewn on the sand."  

I am amazed the Kindy teacher shared this book with her class.

One final review quote about Bedtime Story:

"Chloe Hooper has a formidable talent to take complex stories and ideas and truths, and to distil them into a language of direct and powerful beauty. This is a story of grief and of patience, of hope and acceptance. It is also a reminder of the solace that books give us, and of how the imaginary worlds we dive into as children remain with is for all our lives, of how they guide us into adulthood and maturity. There is a quiet courage and strength in this book. It is both gentle and uncompromising, a love letter to family and to literature that is bracingly unsentimental. I was profoundly moved, and profoundly grateful.’" Christos Tsiolkas

Post script to this post - tonight I found an article in The Guardian where Chloe Hooper talks further about the books she purchased for her children and some well informed bookseller recommendations. AND Chloe has discovered my purpose for this post - to read these books as a part of a mix of picture books we share with children and not as a panacea following the sadness of an actual event. 

Near our house there’s a children’s bookshop. The bookseller gently directed me to the best books to navigate rugged terrain. It turns out children are natural philosophers who are intrigued by life’s biggest mystery: death. Who knew the right book on this subject can be informative and comforting? I guess the bookseller did. But I’d now encourage adults to add this topic into children’s literary diet early, to not wait until your family is forced to confront this conversation in extremes. Giving children a framework to think about death provides them ballast when the inevitable hard time comes. The Guardian

Exit through the gift shop by Maryam Master illustrated by Astred Hicks

"Have you ever been to the zoo? Or a museum? Or any kind of amusement park? If the answer is yes, then you'll know what I'm talking about. The only way out is through the gift shop. Whether you like it or not! ... life kind of works in the same way. When you're on your way out, you are forced to look at gifts you would ordinarily bypass."

My name is Anahita Rosalind Ghorban-Galaszczuk but you can call me Ana. My best friend is Alexander Aaron Afu but everyone calls him Al. By the way by the end of this book you will want to hug Al - he is the bestest best friend ever. 

According to the doctor, Ana has about a year left. She has cancer (non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma). Yes that is a problem but really there's nothing she can do about that and really it is her other problem that is far more pressing - Alyssa Anderson - bully extraordinaire. 

In raw, honest, direct, authentic and often funny revelations, Ana shares with readers her final year of life. Yes I did say funny because Ana adds all of these crazy word definitions into her story. This is truly her story - we are reading it as she writes it. Here are a couple of her definitions to show you what I mean:

Nemesis (nem-uh-sis) Noun

A long-standing rival; an arch enemy, a foe, someone who makes your life so hellish that you'd rather listen to the Frozen soundtrack on loop for the rest of your life than have to deal with her ever again.

Poking the bear Colloquial expression

Doing something that may provoke a negative response from someone. Obviously poling a bear is not a smart move. That beast ain't gonna like it. At best she'll growl in your fact to express her anger and at worst, she'll hunt you down and eat you. She'll start by biting off your head and swallowing it whole, then she'll chow down on your limbs one by one and finish up by using your hair to floss her teeth. My top tip for the day: do not, I repeat, do NOT poke bears. Especially ones with flowing blonde hair and perfect teeth.

I recommend you grab a cup of Persian tea (see page 114) and settle down to read this book. You will most probably want to read the whole thing in one sitting. Please don't worry about being sad. I am someone who cries over nothing and I didn't cry so I am sure you will be fine. I actually predicted the truth about Alyssa but I won't spoil things here by saying more. 

This is a beautifully written book, exploring one young girl’s journey of facing her own death. She does confront her own mortality through the story so whilst it is deep content it is written with so much humour, joy and love, that you will remember this book long after you put it down. It is a truly joyous affirmation to make the most of everyday and to be the best person you can. Lamont Standing Order

Maryam Master has done a wonderful job of capturing not just the hard graft and fear about a terminal cancer diagnosis, but also the love and joy and crazy wonder about living and not giving up, even when facing death. NZ Book Lovers

Ana's voice bursts from the page and the reader has no choice but to be pulled into her world.  Kids' Book Review (note I disagree with ages 8-12)

Ana is very down to earth and philosophical. She has accepted her fate and is ready to make the most of the time that she has. She has quite a sense of humour and her story is written in a dramatic (comedic) way with lots of big bold words and sketches on the pages. Book Girl

My favourite bookseller from Beachside Bookshop gifted me Exit through the gift shop recently when I expressed an interest in reading this book which has a very quirky title. Now that I have finished it I sought out some reviews and once again I am in shock.  No let me say that again I am in SHOCK.  This is a book, my opinion for a mature reader aged 11+ and if asked for a category I would say this is a YA novel. And yet, once again I read that it is recommended (by one well respected reviewer) as suitable for 8-12. I shudder and shake my head. Then I read another reviewer who said 12+  and one of the standing order services here in Australian has put this book into their secondary selection. So much confusion which is concerning when there is no way any book seller can read every book!

Maryam Master was born in Iran and she moved to Australia when she was nine. She is a screenwriter and has worked to adapt three David Walliams stories for the stage. Exit through the gift shop is her first novel. Here are a set of teachers notes. This book has cartoon illustrations and lots of graphic text features by Astred Hicks who works as a book designer. 

Here are some companion reads to go with Exit through the gift shop:

The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle

The Honest Truth

Ms Bixby's Last Day

A home for Goddesses and Dogs by Leslie Connor

Here is the publisher blurb: "It’s a life-altering New Year for thirteen-year-old Lydia when she uproots to a Connecticut farm to live with her aunt following her mother’s death. Aunt Brat and her jovial wife, Eileen, and their ancient live-in landlord, Elloroy, are welcoming—and a little quirky. Lydia’s struggle for a sense of belonging in her new family is highlighted when the women adopt a big yellow dog just days after the girl’s arrival. Wasn’t one rescue enough? Lydia is not a dog person—and this one is trouble! He is mistrustful and slinky. He pees in the house, escapes into the woods, and barks at things unseen. His new owners begin to guess about his unknown past. Meanwhile, Lydia doesn’t want to be difficult—and she does not mean to keep secrets—but there are things she’s not telling... Like why the box of “paper stuff” she keeps under her bed is so important...  And why that hole in the wall behind a poster in her room is getting bigger... And why something she took from the big yellow dog just might be the key to unraveling his mysterious past—but at what cost?"

I picked up this book because I really enjoyed another book by Leslie Connor - The Truth as told to Mason Buttle.  Earlier in 2011 I also read and thoroughly enjoyed Waiting for Normal.  Both are books I would add to my top 100 titles for senior primary and junior high school readers, but while I did enjoy A home for Goddesses and Dogs it did not hit the same emotional highs and lows I felt with these other two titles. Ms Yingling gave this book 3 stars out of five. Colby Sharp included this title in his list of best books for 2020.

You can listen to an audio sample from Chapter one on the US Publisher web page.  Warning (Chapter 26) - sensitive readers may find the description of the badly hurt baby goats very distressing.

An almost-orphan and a rescue dog share lots of heart in a winsome coming-of-age story. Kirkus

This novel will surely be a big and important story when it reaches the children who need it most. The Children's Book Review

Full of dogs, warmth and love, this is another great read from a talented author. Waking Brain Cells

Even though these are much shorter books and written for a slightly younger audience, I would pair A home for Goddesses and Dogs with these two books which explore the theme of dogs and their healing powers:

White Fur Flying

Waiting for the Magic

You should also look for Small Mercies which explores forming new relationships when children have to move in and live with other relatives after the death of a parent. 

Small Mercies

A Good Night for Shooting Zombies by Jaco Jacobs

Do you judge a book by its title?  I did for this one. Zombies did not sound like a book I wanted to read. I saw this book listed inside the back cover of A Good Day for Climbing Trees.

Then I made three discoveries. First of all I loved A Good Day for Climbing Trees by Jaco Jacobs and so I book talked it during a book week event at a small rural school. While I was talking about A Good Day for Climbing Trees one of the Year 6 students exclaimed with great excitement that she had read another book by Jaco Jacobs - A Good Night for Shooting Zombies. I was curious how this book had reached this reader in Australia (it is from South Africa) and also how a book with such an odd title could elicit such joy.

Secondly Jaco Jacobs has been nominated by IBBY in South Africa for the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen medal. As a member of IBBY Australia I am very interested in this award.  Finally I was browsing a discount book store in the city last week and I spied A Good Night for Shooting Zombies at a bargain price so I picked it up.

Last night I started to read this book and by morning it was finished.  Yes it is THAT good.

I love that the title has two meanings. The group of kids, especially Vusi, are making or shooting a movie about zombies. The final scenes in the movie involve shooting the zombies - don't worry they use toy guns and this scene is actually a wonderful celebration of community.

Martin (nickname Clucky) has lots of chickens. His dad showed him how to care for them but sadly his dad has died in a tragic accident. Martin is saving the money he gets from selling the eggs. He has an important reason for doing this. 

Vusi lives next door to Martin. Vusi does not go to school because he has Hodgkin's disease. Vusi loves watching zombie movies and so he has decided to make one of his own.

Clucky meets Vusi when Vusi's dog attacks the chickens and Kathleen (a leghorn chicken) is killed. This meeting is the beginning of an important friendship. Clucky is lonely at school because he is a clever boy who does not fit in. He does not understand why this movie is important to Vusi but he is happy to be involved. Later Chris (Christine) joins them and the action really heats up. Vusi wants to find a shed where they can film some scenes from the movie. Chris has a shed but it does contain a lot of things that belong to her brother who is in jail. When local criminals discover our team of movie makers things become very dangerous.

Spoiler alert - this is a book that ends in tragedy and yet at no time does it feel sad. Using the time they had available these young friends have made special memories for themselves and for the people they love.

One aspect of this book I really enjoyed was Clucky's obsession with numbers. He calculates precisely when things happen, how long they take and he is always calculating the numbers he encounters to check if they are happy numbers. (see page 23).

"While racing home I thought of Aunt Hantie. She said that her husband died ten years ago. That amounts to 3,652 days, if you add two days for leap years. And that amounts to 86,648 hours. How do you survive that many hours when you're as lonely as she is?"

This book has been made into a movie.  You can read about it here and see the trailer. The movie is called Nul is Nie Niks Nie. 

This book was written in 2013 and translated in 2018. Here is the Afrikaans cover:

Never too sentimental or depressing, A Good Night for Shooting Zombies strikes a perfect balance of humor and heartbreak and helps to define what friendship really means. Foreword Reviews

Death is present in both reference to Clucky’s father’s accident and Vusi’s illness, but Jacobs delicately weaves it throughout the tale in a way that both celebrates life and places importance on human connection as it affects the lives of those who remain.  An emotive and enjoyable read. Kirkus

Just like the children in The Little Wave - Martin, Vusi and Chris have complex life experiences and families. I highly recommend A Good Night for Shooting Zombies. I also recommend you look for Kaline Klatteraster's tree house by Haven Kimmel; Swashbuckler by James Moloney; The Goldfish boy by Lisa Thompson and View from the 32nd Floor by Emma Cameron which is long out of print but well worth finding even though the cover is perhaps not very appealing.