Beware of Tigers

by Dave Horowitz

Despite being warned, two birds are deceived by a charming tiger who sings and dances his way into their good graces, in this hilarious cautionary tale filled with vibrant art.

Genres: Picture Books, Storytime, Birds

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

My name is dave horowitz. I grew up in Smithtown, New York in the 1970s. Instead of paying attention in school I drew pictures of my teachers. Then I went to a famous art college in Rhode Island and studied coloring.

In 1992 I graduated and went to Oregon to play drums and drink coffee. Then I moved to New York City and worked next door to the Twin Towers. Then I learned how to climb rocks and got fired.

Then I climbed rocks.

I moved up to the Hudson Valley and then to California and then to New Hampshire and then back to the Hudson Valley. Then I got a job as a “professional” rock climber. Then I got too old for that.

I still live in the Hudson Valley where I write and illustrate picture books. Also, I'm a paramedic. So far so good…

Reviews

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beware of Tigers is written and illustrated by Dave Horowitz. It's set in New York and follows the adventures of Burp and Chirp, two street wise but wilds foolish birds.

When you live in the big city you don't expect to have run-ins with wild animals. Imagine Burp and Chirp's surprise when a third bird comes along warning of the impending arrival of a tiger!

Sure enough, a tiger arrives (on a bus!) and seeks to eat the birds. My children like to wiggle and pretend to be cats about to pounce just as the tiger is trying his best to charm the birds before pouncing.

I've been asked Beware of Tigers has a happy ending. Chirp and Burp survive their encounter with the tiger. The tiger gets a taste of his own medicine. The only ones who don't fare well are the worms at the beginning. There is some comedic violence but nothing frightening or graphic.

[Meghan Hunt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excerpt:" 'A tiger is coming, haven't you heard?' 'A tiger in the city? Let's not be absurd.' "

I love the cover of the book because it is a tiger's round mouth with a hole in the middle cut out. The very first page is of two birds, so it looks like the birds are in the tiger's mouth. The text is short and the story has good rhythm. The illustrations throughout are fun and almost resemble clay-mation.

The story itself is okay.A bird warns two other birds that a tiger is coming into town and he warns them to beware of it, especially if it smiles. The birds disregard the warning and are charmed by the tiger that sings, dances, and smiles wide. As a result, the birds are nearly eaten.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a rhyming book which was kinda hard to rhyme in some parts at least it was for me. I am on a Dave Horowitz kick. I have been reading a lot of his books lately and this one stars Chirp and Birp, two bird who have been told by a third bird that a tiger is coming to their city. They don't believe it until the orange with black stripe tabby comes waltzing into their neighborhood and then the birds sing a different tune. Bright pictures and a great variety of text fonts and text sizes make this book easy to read and a fun story.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm. Not sure about this one. I guess we SHOULD learn not to trust tigers, even if they smile and say nice things. Some of the rhymes were a bit awkward.

[Michelle Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bird theme

Tiger theme