There's a Tiger on the Train by Mariesa Dulak illustrated by Rebecca Cobb

You’ll never guess what happened

On our trip down to the sea . . .

A tiger in a top hat

Came and sat right next to me!

There is a tiger on the train but also some hippos, crocodiles, piglets, and two pugs BUT dad is so engrossed in his phone screen he misses all the fun and amazement. 

From the author web page: This text won the Faber FAB Writing Prize for Diverse writers in 2020. Rebecca Cobb is an award-winning author/illustrator who has collaborated with other authors such as Julia Donaldson, Richard Curtis and Helen Dunmore. It’s the perfect day for a seaside trip. But who invited the Tiger in the top hat… and all those other animals? And will Dad ever look up from his phone? A rhythmic, rhyming romp about the value of living in the moment and spending quality time with those you love.

You can see inside this book here and read details of the story. 

The story was inspired by my own experience of balancing full-time work with a young family and feeling that I wasn't making the most of the precious time I had with my children. "There's a Tiger on the Train" is about taking time out to connect with those you love. I hope that children reading the book will join in with the rhymes and rhythms, have fun making some new animal friends, and enjoy the ride! And I hope that their grown-ups will be reminded to look up from their phones once in a while to see what they might be missing in the wonderful world of their own child’s imagination. Mariesa Dulak

Here is the title page:

This book published in 2025 should be essential reading for parents! And at the same time young children will enjoy this wild train ride and the 'noisy sections' with words like clank, rumble, chew-chew, spish-splash and everyone should join in with the huge roar at the end as the tiger grabs that wretched mobile phone. Sadly also, though, many children will relate to the little boy in this story who just needs his dad to put down his phone and listen and look and connect with his son in a meaningful way. Please consider adding this book to your school library wish list. The paperback is slightly expensive at over AUS$28 but I really do highly recommend There's a Tiger on the Train.

Phubbing is snubbing or ignoring someone else because you are using your mobile phone. In today’s modern world, we do it without thinking, but research shows that phubbing undermines interpersonal relationships and mental health especially when parents do it to their children. A staggering 70% of parents say they feel distracted by their mobile phones when they spend time with their children. And studies show that the more parents phub their children, the more socially disconnected that child feels towards them. So, when I sat down to write a book that included phubbing, I tried to imagine what it might be like to feel ignored by the most important person in your world and being too small and powerless to do anything about it. Books for Topics

Take a look at this blog post about The Global Day of Unplugging. 

Awards:

• Shortlisted for Oscar's Book Prize 2025
• Nominated for the Carnegie Medal for Illustration 2025
• Shortlisted for the UKLA Book Award 2025
• Shortlisted for the Indie Book Award 2024
• Selected as a Books for Topics Book of the Year 2024
• Selected as a Waterstones Best Books of 2024
• Shortlisted for The Week Junior Book Award 2025

After reading There's a Tiger on the Train try to find other books illustrated by Rebecca Cobb - I am a huge fan of her art. I am keen to see her book A Wild Walk to School.  

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