Who's at the door? (The Tiger Who Came To Tea - Judith Kerr)

Member Name: juicy_lucy

Product:	The Tiger Who Came To Tea - Judith Kerr
Date:	17/03/07 (190 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A fun story

Disadvantages: Little dated

The Tiger who came to tea

First published in 1968, this book has been around for almost as long as I have, and it remains popular…well, it certainly remains popular with me, because I just like the whole fantastical concept of it all.

The story starts with Sophie and mummy having tea (check out the home made cakes and patterned tights!), when there is a ring on the door bell. Sophie’s mum wonders who it might be and discounts the milkman, the boy from the grocer (this shows its age) and daddy. So, Sophie opens the door, and there, at the door was a “big, furry, stripy tiger”. Completely unperturbed by the sight of the tiger, and even less so when he speaks, when he tells Sophie that he is hungry, she of course invites him in.

Mum, Sophie and the tiger sit at the table and look very civilised although it does surprise me that mum allows tiger’s tail to curl unhygienically onto the table. The tiger, when offered one sandwich, took all of them and swallowed then in one big gulp, but he still looked hungry so Sophie passes him the buns, and he ate every single one. When he glugs all of the tea out of the pot, Sophie and mum look a tad worried- possibly wondering what’s going to happen to their tea.

As the tiger looks round the kitchen to see what else he can eat, Sophie gives him a big hug- children tend not to find any of this strange! Tiger then eats all the supper cooking in the saucepans (one very organised mum), and he eats all the food in the fridge, and then he looks in the cupboards and eats all the packets and tins he can find, while all the time, Sophie gazes adoringly at him. After this, he drinks all of daddy’s beer, the orange juice, the milk, and all the water in the taps.

After all of this, he thanks Sophie and her mum for a nice tea, and then leaves. All that worries mum as she surveys the mess, is the fact that she has got nothing for daddy’s supper. I think this would be the least of my worries but no matter.

Anyway, with a flourish of his hat as he walks through the door, daddy comes home in rather too short but very natty checked trousers and red socks. Sophie and her mum, with much arm waving, tell him about the tiger, and being a good sort, Sophie’s daddy takes then all to a café. So Sophie goes out in her nightie, coat and Wellingtons, and they walk through the streets lit by street lights and have a very nice meal in a café.

When they go shopping the next day, Sophie and mum buy lots of food and a big tin of tiger food in case the tiger comes again.

But he never did…

**Other bits of information**

ISBN: 0-00-301514-9

Publisher: Collins Educational (first published 1968)

**Other books by the same author**

Lots of books for young children, including:

Mog The Forgetful Cat
Mog’s Kittens
Mog in the dark
Mog’s Amazing Birthday Caper
Goodbye mog
Goose in a Hole
The Other Goose
Mog’s Christmas

**What I think of this book**

I do like this book, and although it’s been around for ages, it does appeal to young children. They never seem to question the fact that a tiger knocks on the door of a house, and take it for granted that because it has, then it’s only natural to give it something to eat. The only thing they do seem to worry about is what the family will have for tea.

The clothes, styles and home furnishings do look a bit dated but again, this does nothing to detract from children’s enjoyment of the story.

I find they enjoy the almost magical and fantastical element of the story…a tiger at the door! The pictures are great, and show a very homely scene although Little Miss doesn’t like it when the tiger just drinks out of the bottle and gets confused as to how he can possibly drink all the water out of the taps.

The text and storyline are simple, and the pictures detailed and colourful without being too distracting- they simply show what they need to show to tell the story., and do so quite humorously.

For a pleasant and fun read aloud book, this is one which does appeal to young children, and which I would recommend.

Thanks for reading.

Daniela xx

Summary: A fun story with a fantasy element