Oliver Chin, illustrated by Justin Roth,
The Year of the Tiger
Immedium, 2010.

Ages 4-8

Timed for release with the Chinese lunar New Year in February 2010, Year of the Tiger is the fifth in Immedium’s series of Tales from the Chinese Zodiac.  A young tiger prince, Teddy, who embodies the proud, bold, and courageous nature attributed to those born in the year of the Tiger, befriends a human girl, Su, who may just be his Homo sapiens counterpart.

Against both human and feline parental wishes, the two children venture into each other’s homes and forge a fast friendship.  Intent on learning for themselves rather than blindly accepting the prejudices of their parents, Teddy and Su run to the jungle to explore on their own while tigers and humans both send out search parties for their lost youngsters, certain that each is in mortal danger.  Will Teddy and Su survive, or will their rash and unpredictable behavior get them into a situation from which they can’t escape?  Will their charismatic and loyal tiger qualities be strong enough to help their families rise above their convictions that humans and tigers cannot be friends?

This bright, playful story makes the ancient tradition of the Chinese zodiac accessible to and fun for contemporary children, whatever their cultural background.  Justin Roth’s illustrations reflect his roots as an animator: the cartoon-like characters are big on emotion with exaggeratedly expressive faces. Comics expert and award-winning author Oliver Chin, who is also the author of the previous four titles in the Tales from the Chinese Zodiac series (illustrated by Jeremiah Alcorn), as well as, among other titles, the graphic novel 9 of 1: A Window to the World and the picture book Baltazar and the Flying Pirates, is also clearly in his element.

All in all, The Year of the Tiger is a great way for young readers to welcome in the lunar New Year!

Abigail Sawyer
December 2009