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Camp Tiger
Every year, a boy and his family go camping at Mountain Pond.
Usually, they see things like an eagle fishing for his dinner, a salamander with red spots on its back, and chipmunks that come to steal food while the family sits by the campfire.
But this year is different. This year, the boy is going into first grade, and his mother is encouraging him to do things on his own, just like his older brother. And the most different thing of all . . . this year, a tiger comes to the woods.
Usually, they see things like an eagle fishing for his dinner, a salamander with red spots on its back, and chipmunks that come to steal food while the family sits by the campfire.
But this year is different. This year, the boy is going into first grade, and his mother is encouraging him to do things on his own, just like his older brother. And the most different thing of all . . . this year, a tiger comes to the woods.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published May 21, 2019
10 people are currently reading
477 people want to read
About the author
Susan Choi
27 books1,142 followersSusan Choi was born in South Bend, Indiana and was raised there and in Houston, Texas. She studied literature at Yale and writing at Cornell, and worked for several years as a fact-checker for The New Yorker.
Her latest novel, Trust Exercise, was the winner of the 2019 National Book Award for Fiction, and was a national bestseller. Trust Exercise was also named a best book of 2019 by The Washington Post, Vanity Fair, New York Magazine, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Buzzfeed, Entertainment Weekly, Los Angeles Times, ELLE, Bustle, Town & Country, Publishers Weekly, The Millions, The Chicago Tribune, and TIME.
Her first novel, The Foreign Student, won the Asian-American Literary Award for fiction, and her second novel, American Woman, was a finalist for the 2004 Pulitzer Prize.
With David Remnick she co-edited the anthology Wonderful Town: New York Stories from The New Yorker, and her non-fiction has appeared in publications such as Vogue, Tin House, Allure, O, and The New York Times and in anthologies such as Money Changes Everything and Brooklyn Was Mine.
A recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation, she lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband, Pete Wells and their sons Dexter and Elliot
Her latest novel, Trust Exercise, was the winner of the 2019 National Book Award for Fiction, and was a national bestseller. Trust Exercise was also named a best book of 2019 by The Washington Post, Vanity Fair, New York Magazine, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Buzzfeed, Entertainment Weekly, Los Angeles Times, ELLE, Bustle, Town & Country, Publishers Weekly, The Millions, The Chicago Tribune, and TIME.
Her first novel, The Foreign Student, won the Asian-American Literary Award for fiction, and her second novel, American Woman, was a finalist for the 2004 Pulitzer Prize.
With David Remnick she co-edited the anthology Wonderful Town: New York Stories from The New Yorker, and her non-fiction has appeared in publications such as Vogue, Tin House, Allure, O, and The New York Times and in anthologies such as Money Changes Everything and Brooklyn Was Mine.
A recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation, she lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband, Pete Wells and their sons Dexter and Elliot
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 220 reviews
February 23, 2019
Wild and wondrous! Camp Tiger reads like Calvin and Hobbes adapted to a literary picture book about growing up.
A boy and his family go on their annual camping trip. This year brings new surprises - lots of firsts for the boy who is coming of age and a mysterious camp visitor: a tiger!
Glorious illustrations of the tiger and some lovely writing as well. The kind of books that makes you want to run wild after dark and growl at the moon.
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*Note: Quote taken from an Advanced Copy.
A boy and his family go on their annual camping trip. This year brings new surprises - lots of firsts for the boy who is coming of age and a mysterious camp visitor: a tiger!
Glorious illustrations of the tiger and some lovely writing as well. The kind of books that makes you want to run wild after dark and growl at the moon.
The tiger pushes his paws through the sparkling black water instead of using a paddle. I steer, which I was never good at, except now I steer really well. I see the stars shining deep in the water, and our canoe gliding high in the sky.*
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*Note: Quote taken from an Advanced Copy.
December 10, 2020
There is magic in this book. It's a rather simple story, a family goes camping the last time for the season in September. They know the place. A boy is about to go into 1st grade and he doesn't want things to change. As they are setting up camp this talking Bengal tiger joins them.
I'm not sure exactly what the author was getting at, but what I got from the story is the tiger was like the imaginary friend we have or that boundless imagination as a young child we have. As we grow, it lessens and changes or goes away. This boy is saying goodbye to some piece of himself he feels he's losing. Something to that effect. It really is a beautiful story, unique.
The artwork is amazing and the night excursion that the boy and tiger make is so beautiful. The tiger around the fire and then around the stars is some great color work and light and shadow work. Beautiful.
I think kids might think this is cool and it might be more for adults as a reminder about how magic the world use to be when we were kids. I recommend this to everyone. Remember that something precious we all were before we grew up.
I'm not sure exactly what the author was getting at, but what I got from the story is the tiger was like the imaginary friend we have or that boundless imagination as a young child we have. As we grow, it lessens and changes or goes away. This boy is saying goodbye to some piece of himself he feels he's losing. Something to that effect. It really is a beautiful story, unique.
The artwork is amazing and the night excursion that the boy and tiger make is so beautiful. The tiger around the fire and then around the stars is some great color work and light and shadow work. Beautiful.
I think kids might think this is cool and it might be more for adults as a reminder about how magic the world use to be when we were kids. I recommend this to everyone. Remember that something precious we all were before we grew up.
May 27, 2019
I'm not sure if I even fully "get" this book. But I kind of love it.
A little boy goes camping with his family (dad, mom, and older brother). As they prepare to set up camp, a tiger walks out of the woods. As if that's not unusual enough, the tiger starts to talk! He asks the family if they have an extra tent, because all he has is a cave and he's kind of cold. The family does, in fact, have an extra tent, so the tiger proceeds to spend the rest of the trip with the family, joining them for canoeing, fishing, and hiking.
There's some sort of message about growing up and becoming independent, but I'm not sure if the tiger is supposed to represent something beyond that, or if he's just a fanciful element in the story. In any case, the perfectly rendered illustrations won me over and quashed what few doubts I might've had about the narrative. Yes, it's a bit weird and I'm not sure if kids will be able to glean any hidden meaning from the text (if there even is one), but this is such a beautiful book to look at that they'll probably be mesmerized by the pictures. The ones of the tiger diving to catch fish and the stargazing scene with the canoe are breathtakingly beautiful.
This book was a pleasant surprise. I picked it up on a whim from the library, and I'm glad I did!
Quotable moment:
A little boy goes camping with his family (dad, mom, and older brother). As they prepare to set up camp, a tiger walks out of the woods. As if that's not unusual enough, the tiger starts to talk! He asks the family if they have an extra tent, because all he has is a cave and he's kind of cold. The family does, in fact, have an extra tent, so the tiger proceeds to spend the rest of the trip with the family, joining them for canoeing, fishing, and hiking.
There's some sort of message about growing up and becoming independent, but I'm not sure if the tiger is supposed to represent something beyond that, or if he's just a fanciful element in the story. In any case, the perfectly rendered illustrations won me over and quashed what few doubts I might've had about the narrative. Yes, it's a bit weird and I'm not sure if kids will be able to glean any hidden meaning from the text (if there even is one), but this is such a beautiful book to look at that they'll probably be mesmerized by the pictures. The ones of the tiger diving to catch fish and the stargazing scene with the canoe are breathtakingly beautiful.
This book was a pleasant surprise. I picked it up on a whim from the library, and I'm glad I did!
Quotable moment:
December 21, 2019
Another recommendation from Ms.B - thanks!
Last days of summer, every year "the boy" and his family take one last trip to camp at Mountain Pond. This year the boy and his family are brought face to face with a Tiger - rather unusual in many ways, no other campers in the park, no park rangers, and tigers are not "native" to North America.
The tiger seems to be able to communicate verbally with the boy and his family - the family accepts this and accepts him into their camp and lives for the few days they will be there.
The illustrations of the tiger walk off the page into your space...… GREAT!
This one will be used at story time.
Last days of summer, every year "the boy" and his family take one last trip to camp at Mountain Pond. This year the boy and his family are brought face to face with a Tiger - rather unusual in many ways, no other campers in the park, no park rangers, and tigers are not "native" to North America.
The tiger seems to be able to communicate verbally with the boy and his family - the family accepts this and accepts him into their camp and lives for the few days they will be there.
The illustrations of the tiger walk off the page into your space...… GREAT!
This one will be used at story time.
November 26, 2019
A boy is on a late summer camping trip with his family befriends a tiger. It's up to the reader to decode if the tiger is real or not. There's something special about this story that leaves the reader questioning what's real and what's not. I loved it.
June 5, 2019
I don't think that I quite understand what this book is supposed to be... but the illustrations are cool.
April 13, 2023
One of the most haunting, saddest children's books I have ever read. It's through the eyes of a kid trying to grapple with how could his mom and dad ever split up?
With some of the most beautiful and poignant illustrations I've seen in a children's book- the stages of processing grief will break your heart many, many times. There's a glimmer of hope at the end- but I could not stop crying after I thought of my own experiences of heartbreak, death, and separation. Professor Choi is the master of writing merciless sentences of anger and depth in her novels- this one, is writing from a heart that seems to be simmering in pain and questions that can't be answered. But it's also about growing up, and keeping the feelings of love you have for the ones that count alive.
With some of the most beautiful and poignant illustrations I've seen in a children's book- the stages of processing grief will break your heart many, many times. There's a glimmer of hope at the end- but I could not stop crying after I thought of my own experiences of heartbreak, death, and separation. Professor Choi is the master of writing merciless sentences of anger and depth in her novels- this one, is writing from a heart that seems to be simmering in pain and questions that can't be answered. But it's also about growing up, and keeping the feelings of love you have for the ones that count alive.
July 8, 2019
I don’t want to understand it, I loved it! To fully understand it, would take away some of the glamour of this children’s book. No overthinking on my end, this little boy had a fabulous end to his summer and he’s ready for first grade.
He’ll be making a big transition this fall from kindergarten to first-grade and he, like many other children, would rather be back in kindergarten. He’s not looking forward to losing some of his social/playing time and gaining more time working on educational matters. His parents have already started this approach at home and he’s doing some things that his parents would have done for him previously.
It’s their yearly family campout and as they get their tent and site ready, a tiger arrives out of the bushes. It is a talking tiger which wants to sleep beside them. Now, I’m thinking this has to be a fantasy story as there’s no such thing as a talking tiger but as I read and the tiger joins the family on their vacation, there’s something about this tiger that’s off. He’s not your typical tiger. The young boy and the tiger have some close moments, there are also some great moments with the tiger and the family.
The illustrations are wonderful too. Just by looking at the book cover, you see a glimpse of what to expect inside this children’s book. I love the pictures of the tiger, the reflections on the water, the shadows, the faces of the characters, and the pictures of the boy with the tiger were my favorite.
As the camping trip comes to an end and they make their way home, the boy starts to think about school. He thinks back to his family’s camping trip and it’s a trip he’ll never forget.
He’ll be making a big transition this fall from kindergarten to first-grade and he, like many other children, would rather be back in kindergarten. He’s not looking forward to losing some of his social/playing time and gaining more time working on educational matters. His parents have already started this approach at home and he’s doing some things that his parents would have done for him previously.
It’s their yearly family campout and as they get their tent and site ready, a tiger arrives out of the bushes. It is a talking tiger which wants to sleep beside them. Now, I’m thinking this has to be a fantasy story as there’s no such thing as a talking tiger but as I read and the tiger joins the family on their vacation, there’s something about this tiger that’s off. He’s not your typical tiger. The young boy and the tiger have some close moments, there are also some great moments with the tiger and the family.
The illustrations are wonderful too. Just by looking at the book cover, you see a glimpse of what to expect inside this children’s book. I love the pictures of the tiger, the reflections on the water, the shadows, the faces of the characters, and the pictures of the boy with the tiger were my favorite.
As the camping trip comes to an end and they make their way home, the boy starts to think about school. He thinks back to his family’s camping trip and it’s a trip he’ll never forget.
June 21, 2019
June 2019. Wow. I read this to myself when the hold came in, and almost teared up. The story is a perfect blend of realism and fantasy - I see so much of my own almost 1st grader in the main character, and there's a hint of melancholy as the summer is almost over. And the tiger - I thought for a minute that maybe only the boy could see the tiger, but there are references to the rest of the family talking to him. But the tiger has such powerful symbolism even if he's meant to be real, that I keep coming back to think about the story. It clearly grabbed Ben - he'd looked through the pictures before I read it to him, but was still shocked when the tiger spoke and happy to linger over some of the pictures. And what great illustrations - the realism and fantasy are both there, too, since they're lush but realistic. Makes me ready to go camping.
June 20, 2019
Some of the illustrations are truly spectacular, but I could have used more clarity for the story itself. I think the tiger is meant to be imaginary, but the way the young boy's parents behave isn't always consistent with that. Even though the illustrations would be great for a read aloud, I'm not sure I would feel comfortable sharing it with a class because of the above ambiguity and some seeming contradictions (e.g., tigers in general like water, but this tiger is described as afraid of the water, and then there is an illustration of the tiger eagerly diving into the lake with no text to explain the change).
September 15, 2019
The writer is a novelist and it shows. This is so unnecessarily wordy that I just started skipping bits while reading it out loud. A boy and his family go camping. A talking tiger shows up. But the book isn't written in a playful way. It's more of a profound metaphor of ... um, something. The artwork is amazing. I have no idea what the story was going for.
February 28, 2023
A boy and his family go camping just before school starts. The boy is starting to grow up and be pushed to do things independently, but he is reluctant to change. On the camping trip, a tiger appears, and the boy and the tiger do things together that the boy has not attempted in the past.
A beautifully illustrated book with lots of depth and meaning.
A beautifully illustrated book with lots of depth and meaning.
June 4, 2019
This book is very pretty. But I can't decide if the metaphor works or not. But it is very pretty.
July 5, 2019
This is the camping trip I dreamed about as a child. I was always the best of friends with beast that could choose to eat me, but didn't bother.
May 19, 2019
An annual end-of-summer camping trip with his family finds a boy not quite ready for first grade, but an unexpected friend prepares him for the start of school in ways he couldn't have imagined.
When the usual sights of Mountain Pond give rise to a visiting tiger, who joins the boy on the family's explorations, the weekend reveals new experiences to the reticent boy. From previously unseen overlooks to daunting leaps now possible after the year's growth, the tiger coaxes the boy along, affirming his ability, and his independence.
Gorgeous illustrations convey the wonder of this new friend and the scope of the wilderness, while strong use of white space evokes the child's feelings of isolation and reluctant moves toward self-growth. A lovely, quieter addition to the back-to-school book collection.
When the usual sights of Mountain Pond give rise to a visiting tiger, who joins the boy on the family's explorations, the weekend reveals new experiences to the reticent boy. From previously unseen overlooks to daunting leaps now possible after the year's growth, the tiger coaxes the boy along, affirming his ability, and his independence.
Gorgeous illustrations convey the wonder of this new friend and the scope of the wilderness, while strong use of white space evokes the child's feelings of isolation and reluctant moves toward self-growth. A lovely, quieter addition to the back-to-school book collection.
June 7, 2019
Childrens picture book. I am glad I am not the only one who did not GET this story. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful but the text is a bit odd. It's about a boy who goes on an annual camping trip with his family to celebrate the end of summer. This year is a bit different, because now that he's going into first grade he's expected to do more for himself. There is a tiger that comes up to the family on the trip, and talks to them. It is unclear what the significance of the tiger is, or if he's real. He is very tame and talks, but the adults do seem to "see" the tiger as well. I would have liked more closure, such as the boy waking up from a dream, to clearly separate reality from fantasy. Otherwise a nice story about camping with the family.
November 10, 2019
Camp Tiger by Susan Choi, illustrated by John Rocco. PICTURE BOOK. Putnam (Penguin), 2019. $18. 9780399173295
BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) - NO
AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW
A little boy is getting ready for the start of first grade, but first comes the family campout. This year there’s a new family member – a tiger has joined them. But this tiger has the little boy’s back as the last days of summer wind down.
I must totally be missing the point this time. When the tiger takes the 6-year-old boy out in a canoe on the lake, all I could think about was how dangerous that was! And then I what? What is this supposed to be about? Someone tell me.
Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...
BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) - NO
AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW
A little boy is getting ready for the start of first grade, but first comes the family campout. This year there’s a new family member – a tiger has joined them. But this tiger has the little boy’s back as the last days of summer wind down.
I must totally be missing the point this time. When the tiger takes the 6-year-old boy out in a canoe on the lake, all I could think about was how dangerous that was! And then I what? What is this supposed to be about? Someone tell me.
Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...
March 25, 2019
The magical realism of a tiger who sidles up to a boy on a camping trip with his family is lovely, but a bit too mystical to truly understand-- was it his nervousness of starting a new grade in school? His own wild imagination? It's never truly resolved, but what is without question is the artistry of the illustrations-- a tiger (not from Africa but from Asia, neither of which setting is where the characters are in the wilderness of what we assume to be the United States) hiking and riding the water with a boy as he camps. But he wants to be sure he remembers the tiger as he returns to his home before he falls asleep.
July 7, 2019
This is a very interesting fantasy. A talking tiger appears at a family's campsite in a pine woods forest in the US. I would have thought that the tiger was a figment of the youngest boy's imagination, except that the entire family of four can see it and talk with it. The tiger joins the family on their hikes and fishing trips without ever being aggressive. But it is the kindergarten-going-on-first-grade boy who bonds with the tiger more than the other family members. On a few pages, the youngster even stripes his own face tiger fashion. The artwork is beautiful and realistic; mostly single- and double-page spreads, with some panels as well. Unusual, creative, and fascinating.
February 3, 2019
The illustrations are simply beautiful, especially those of the tiger which are mesmerizing!
The story is simple, an imaginative boy dealing with change and growing up a little but not wanting to.
The story is simple, an imaginative boy dealing with change and growing up a little but not wanting to.
June 1, 2019
I didn't quite get this story. Was the tiger make believe? Was the tiger real but could talk? The tiger seemed to be the only character that LISTENED to the boy. Perhaps the story is a comment about boys growing up.
June 20, 2019
Darling story of a family camping trip. When they arrive at their favorite camping spot, a tiger joins them. The youngest son sleeps in the tiger's tent and they canoe and have a wonderful weekend. The illustrations really help this story come alive.
July 7, 2019
Stunning artwork makes this a Caldecott pick for me!
It's the summer before a boy starts first grade. He goes on a camping trip with his family where a tiger joins them. A gentle tale about growing up.
It's the summer before a boy starts first grade. He goes on a camping trip with his family where a tiger joins them. A gentle tale about growing up.
July 23, 2019
The illustrations are stunning, especially the one with the tiger and the fire is amazing. An interesting mix of reality and fantasy, don't know if it works out the boy's emotional issues with growing up as well as it could though.
March 18, 2019
This one is really strange but maybe that's implied from the cover and title? I like the way the tiger inserts itself but this might be a bit too cerebral for me.
June 27, 2019
Lovely story that made me want to read it again and again and it made me excited to take a camping trip which means it must have been a good book!
July 15, 2019
Beautiful illustrations tell the story of a boy and the tiger he meets while camping. Would be good for discussions.
June 19, 2021
Whether the story was real or imagined, the ending is what really spoke to me.
August 19, 2019
A young boy is going into 1st grade, but before school begins his family goes on their yearly camping trip. We learn that the boy is being asked to take on more responsibilities in his home life and that he will miss Kindergarten. As his family arrives at the campground, he’s quite surprised when a tiger shows up. Even more surprising — the tiger talks and his parents don’t seem to mind him being there and interacting with the young boy. In the beginning we see that the boy is simply wearing an orange shirt. But as he and the tiger bond, the illustrations change in the darker night scenes where shadows throw tiger stripes on the boy’s shirt and across his face. He is growing brave and strong with the tiger by his side. This one is definitely a fantastical story about growing up and it will encourage great conversation for the Littles in your life. Was there really a tiger? What did this encounter mean? Why is the boy afraid of forgetting at the end? 🙂 The gorgeous artwork in this book was created using a watercolor sketch and wash pencil and then adding the color digitally.
For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo!
For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo!
January 1, 2020
It's an eery coincidence to read this right after This Was Our Pact because the two books are unexpectedly similar. Both are about boys having an adventure with a talking animal. They both have a surreal quality. The pinnacle of both stories is a spread of the night sky which seems especially magical in that moment.
I'm interested to see how 4- to 7-year-olds will react to this story. Will they have ideas about what the tiger represents? Will they think the boy was just imagining the tiger? This is a great one to start a discussion. I imagine some kids will be nonplussed and some will dive into interpretations.
Overall, the illustrations are impressive but uneven. Some of the spreads are gorgeous, particularly the one where the boy and the tiger are cuddling in the tent.
I'm interested to see how 4- to 7-year-olds will react to this story. Will they have ideas about what the tiger represents? Will they think the boy was just imagining the tiger? This is a great one to start a discussion. I imagine some kids will be nonplussed and some will dive into interpretations.
Overall, the illustrations are impressive but uneven. Some of the spreads are gorgeous, particularly the one where the boy and the tiger are cuddling in the tent.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 220 reviews