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Augustus and His Smile
Augustus the tiger was sad. And he had lost his smile. So he did a huge tigery stretch and set off to find it. Stunning illustrations celebrate the beauty of the world and the simple happiness it brings us when we open our eyes to it. An imaginative book for children who love to explore the world around them.
28 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
2 people are currently reading
303 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Rayner
54 books81 followersSee also Catherine Rayner for works on the Bronte sisters
Award winning author and illustrator Catherine Rayner studied Illustration at Edinburgh College of art. She fell in love with the city and still lives there with her husband, young son and a handful of creatures: Shannon the horse, Ena the grey cat and a goldfish called Richard.
She finds huge inspiration in her pets and often uses them as models, frequently asking Ena to pose so that she can study her posture and movement. Then she translates sketches of Ena into characters such as dragons and hares, not to mention moose and bears! But it was creatures of a wilder kind that inspired her first picture book, Augustus and His Smile - Catherine spent hours and hours watching and sketching tigers (in freezing temperatures) at Edinburgh Zoo.
Winner of the 2009 CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal for her second book Harris Finds His Feet, Catherine has now been shortlisted four times for the award. She was also awarded the Best New Illustrator Award at the Booktrust Early Years Awards in 2006 and was named one of Booktrust’s ten Best New Illustrators in 2008. In 2010, she was the inaugural illustrator in residence at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. In 2012 Catherine’s book Iris and Isaac won the UKLA Children’s Book Award and the Dutch edition of Solomon Crocodile has been selected as PICTURE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2014 in The Netherlands by the CPNB.
Award winning author and illustrator Catherine Rayner studied Illustration at Edinburgh College of art. She fell in love with the city and still lives there with her husband, young son and a handful of creatures: Shannon the horse, Ena the grey cat and a goldfish called Richard.
She finds huge inspiration in her pets and often uses them as models, frequently asking Ena to pose so that she can study her posture and movement. Then she translates sketches of Ena into characters such as dragons and hares, not to mention moose and bears! But it was creatures of a wilder kind that inspired her first picture book, Augustus and His Smile - Catherine spent hours and hours watching and sketching tigers (in freezing temperatures) at Edinburgh Zoo.
Winner of the 2009 CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal for her second book Harris Finds His Feet, Catherine has now been shortlisted four times for the award. She was also awarded the Best New Illustrator Award at the Booktrust Early Years Awards in 2006 and was named one of Booktrust’s ten Best New Illustrators in 2008. In 2010, she was the inaugural illustrator in residence at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. In 2012 Catherine’s book Iris and Isaac won the UKLA Children’s Book Award and the Dutch edition of Solomon Crocodile has been selected as PICTURE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2014 in The Netherlands by the CPNB.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews
November 17, 2016
A sweet book about happiness.
Augustus the tiger lost his smile and had many adventures trying to find it.
Only in the end he realizes that his smile has been always with him.
His smile will be there, whenever he is happy.
Awesome illustrations and a beautiful message!
Perfect for children 4 to 7 years old.
Augustus the tiger lost his smile and had many adventures trying to find it.
Only in the end he realizes that his smile has been always with him.
His smile will be there, whenever he is happy.
Awesome illustrations and a beautiful message!
Perfect for children 4 to 7 years old.
June 15, 2020
بعدش اینو خوندیم که اون کتاب فاجعهی قبلی رو بشوره ببره :دی
🦁🦁🦁
شدیدا یاد لافکادیوی عمو شلبی افتادم ^-^
🦁🦁🦁
شدیدا یاد لافکادیوی عمو شلبی افتادم ^-^
June 15, 2024
Story 3
Illustration 4
Illustration 4
July 26, 2024
در بابِ پیدا کردن خوشی های کوچک و شاد بودن..
August 17, 2011
I love the illustrations! How cute is Augustus!? He looks so sweet and snuggly. The story of how he looks for his smile a fun one, albeit it wasn't told in any especially memorable way. However, the illustrations more than make up for that and I was so charmed by the end that the obvious "message" ending didn't even annoy me ;-)
November 3, 2020
Day One of Hannah's picture book challenge - a book that makes you happy.
Augustus and His Smile is a picture book that's able to match the story wonderfully with the illustrations. Augustus' journey takes him too many different places and Rayner uses this opportunity to play with the reader. If the tiger climbs a mountain the text climbs with him, or in the rain the words plip plop across the page. The way that Rayner places the words on the page give them added dynamism and fun.
Augustus and His Smile is a picture book that's able to match the story wonderfully with the illustrations. Augustus' journey takes him too many different places and Rayner uses this opportunity to play with the reader. If the tiger climbs a mountain the text climbs with him, or in the rain the words plip plop across the page. The way that Rayner places the words on the page give them added dynamism and fun.
August 30, 2021
Gambada, to gambol, frolic or skip. Thanks for this fun French verb
September 27, 2018
I loved this book. It could be used as a fantastic cross-curricular base for a topic, with links to PSHE, art, literacy, science (shadows, habitats), and PE (dance and movement). I would also use this book if there were problems in classroom relationships between the children, to open the discussion about being kind, what makes us happy, and why it is important to be happy/smile.
Also, I noticed that you can get this book in dual-language which would be amazing for EAL children, and from reading this book, they can tell the class what makes them smile and opens up the discussion.
Also, I noticed that you can get this book in dual-language which would be amazing for EAL children, and from reading this book, they can tell the class what makes them smile and opens up the discussion.
April 22, 2020
تصویرهاش.❤️
December 22, 2016
Oh, oh my. A fable for all ages, especially for grown-ups who find themselves too easily stressed or depressed. Much better, because more lovely, than so many icons like Jonathan Livingston Seagull or even The Missing Piece. *Not* just cute, *not* just for toddlers. Spend a bit of time with it; study the design choices, the word choices. I want to own a copy to pull out whenever I feel a bout of self-pity. And to think that this is Rayner's debut!
November 22, 2020
A lovely story about finding your smile. Augustus is sad and doesn’t know where his smile has gone, he searches far and wide to find his smile before realising he just has to do the things that make him happy and it comes back. A lovely story to begin discussions about emotions with young children. The book also links well to PE, with children recreating Augustus’ movements. A great book for FS and KS1 children.
October 16, 2019
Augustus and his smile is a good book about a tiger who goes on an adventure to find his smile. The book is a great way to explore different environments with children. The pictures are basic but detailed enough to link with the text and story. The text is written in different shapes linking to the words making it interesting and engaging for young readers.
February 14, 2019
An enjoyable book for children. Explicitly explores the theme of feelings; allowing children to explore it themselves in a way they may have not pursued before. Encourages children to do so to due to the positive outcome at the end of the book.
October 14, 2020
A lovely short story about finding your smile.
January 9, 2017
This was an adorable little picture book about a tiger searching for his smile.
Augustus lost his smile, and we follow him through forests, seas, and mountains as he is trying to find his smile back. Of course I knew what one would have to do to find a smile, but Augustus didn't, and I was just looking forward to see when he would find it out. I was also curious to see how he would find it. Where he would find it in the end.
The journey was quite fun, and I loved seeing how far Augustus went to find his smile.
The art is gorgeous and I really loved the backgrounds, but also how Augustus was drawn. I also love the colours used.
The ending? Adorable! Sweet! Cute! It brought a smile to me as well.
Definitely a book I would recommend to everyone. This book will bring a smile to everyone.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com
Augustus lost his smile, and we follow him through forests, seas, and mountains as he is trying to find his smile back. Of course I knew what one would have to do to find a smile, but Augustus didn't, and I was just looking forward to see when he would find it out. I was also curious to see how he would find it. Where he would find it in the end.
The journey was quite fun, and I loved seeing how far Augustus went to find his smile.
The art is gorgeous and I really loved the backgrounds, but also how Augustus was drawn. I also love the colours used.
The ending? Adorable! Sweet! Cute! It brought a smile to me as well.
Definitely a book I would recommend to everyone. This book will bring a smile to everyone.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com
October 7, 2019
I like this book because of the layout of the text on the page in relation to the pictures.
March 4, 2015
The book starts with an intriguing track of paw prints, spread across two pages of the book. Where will they lead and who do they belong to?
The tracks lead us to Augustus, a beautifully drawn tiger who is sad because he has lost his smile. After an enormous stretch, Augustus goes in search of his smile. Searching high and low, he discovers all manner of other creatures, but not his lost smile. Under bushes, in tree tops, on the peaks of mountains and in deep valleys, he looks everywhere. Even below the surface of the sea, but there is no smile to be found.
Until one day he discovers rain drops. Being a cat, he cannot resist the temptation and begins to chase the drops, splashing through puddles until suddenly, he looks down into the water all around him and spots his smile in the surface of a puddle. There it is!
His smile had been right under his nose all along! Having discovered that happiness is all around him and his smile comes naturally whenever he is happy, Augustus hops away.
Another set of tracks leads the reader out of the book. The tip of a striped tail tells us that Augustus is off to find another adventure that will make him smile.
Verdict: Although the book is beautifully drawn and the story is charming enough, it lacks humour and interaction with others. Augustus comes across as a loner, a creature not given to find happiness when he meets other animals.
The intention may have been to show that we can find happiness in the smallest of things, if we just look for it, but the author has shot herself in the foot with her illustrations and this storyline. Not a book I'd want to give to a grandchild of mine.
The tracks lead us to Augustus, a beautifully drawn tiger who is sad because he has lost his smile. After an enormous stretch, Augustus goes in search of his smile. Searching high and low, he discovers all manner of other creatures, but not his lost smile. Under bushes, in tree tops, on the peaks of mountains and in deep valleys, he looks everywhere. Even below the surface of the sea, but there is no smile to be found.
Until one day he discovers rain drops. Being a cat, he cannot resist the temptation and begins to chase the drops, splashing through puddles until suddenly, he looks down into the water all around him and spots his smile in the surface of a puddle. There it is!
His smile had been right under his nose all along! Having discovered that happiness is all around him and his smile comes naturally whenever he is happy, Augustus hops away.
Another set of tracks leads the reader out of the book. The tip of a striped tail tells us that Augustus is off to find another adventure that will make him smile.
Verdict: Although the book is beautifully drawn and the story is charming enough, it lacks humour and interaction with others. Augustus comes across as a loner, a creature not given to find happiness when he meets other animals.
The intention may have been to show that we can find happiness in the smallest of things, if we just look for it, but the author has shot herself in the foot with her illustrations and this storyline. Not a book I'd want to give to a grandchild of mine.
October 1, 2017
I really love the illustrations in Augustus and His Smile, along with the rhythm of the language, they bring the story to life! I also really like the way that the text sometimes mirrors what is depicted in the illustrations, for example, as Augustus stretches across the page, so does the text. Rayner uses a rich bank of language throughout the book, and the verbs in particular stood out to me - 'chirped', 'scaled', 'swirled', pranced'; the use of such descriptive action verbs offers the opportunity for children to join Augustus on his journey with their own actions and expressions.
September 15, 2008
A perfect happiness book--if it was for PreK or even toddlers. Too young for the Book Time group. Still, very cute book. I loved the pictures and the format. And the message was clear and simple and great. It goes right along with Leo Tolstoy's "If you want to be happy, be." Something I always need to work at.
October 3, 2015
Lovely story and absolutely amazing illustration. The best artwork I think I've ever seen in a children's book.
July 20, 2025
Tiger’s Trail to Tenderness: Discovering the Light Within
Catherine Rayner’s Augustus and His Smile is a tender triumph—an exquisitely illustrated and heartening tale that captures the quiet quest for joy with poetic simplicity. Augustus, the majestic tiger with a gentle soul, sets off in search of his lost smile, traversing forests, climbing mountains, and swimming seas. His journey is both literal and symbolic, echoing the inner wanderings many of us undertake to rediscover the light within.
Rayner’s artwork is nothing short of enchanting. Each brushstroke is imbued with warmth and grace, rendering Augustus with expressive power that evokes empathy and wonder. The text dances along the page, never overstating, always inviting. It reminds us that joy is often found not in the destination, but in the movement—the rustle of leaves, the stretch of sky, and the company of those who uplift us.
For me, the message reverberated deeply: my smile is what keeps the light within alive. It’s a quiet affirmation that even on heavy days, the smallest flicker of happiness—a remembered laugh, a kind word, a glimmer of hope—can stir the soul back to brilliance.
This book is a gentle gift to the world: a balm for tender hearts, and a luminous companion for all ages. Whether read aloud at bedtime or quietly cherished with a cup of tea, Augustus reminds us to keep searching—and smiling. ❤️✨️🐛
Catherine Rayner’s Augustus and His Smile is a tender triumph—an exquisitely illustrated and heartening tale that captures the quiet quest for joy with poetic simplicity. Augustus, the majestic tiger with a gentle soul, sets off in search of his lost smile, traversing forests, climbing mountains, and swimming seas. His journey is both literal and symbolic, echoing the inner wanderings many of us undertake to rediscover the light within.
Rayner’s artwork is nothing short of enchanting. Each brushstroke is imbued with warmth and grace, rendering Augustus with expressive power that evokes empathy and wonder. The text dances along the page, never overstating, always inviting. It reminds us that joy is often found not in the destination, but in the movement—the rustle of leaves, the stretch of sky, and the company of those who uplift us.
For me, the message reverberated deeply: my smile is what keeps the light within alive. It’s a quiet affirmation that even on heavy days, the smallest flicker of happiness—a remembered laugh, a kind word, a glimmer of hope—can stir the soul back to brilliance.
This book is a gentle gift to the world: a balm for tender hearts, and a luminous companion for all ages. Whether read aloud at bedtime or quietly cherished with a cup of tea, Augustus reminds us to keep searching—and smiling. ❤️✨️🐛
November 21, 2023
This beautifully illustrated book is drawn in the manner of Zen and Sumi-e paintings. The lines on the tiger's body are dark, bold brush strokes that make the animal come alive on the page.
Colorful with muted yellows, blues, greens, children will be enchanted by the images. Adults will adore the images as well; some of the images are like paintings of a zen master.
And of course, it's the story that makes me want to keep reading. Augustus somehow loses his smile, it is not said why but I'm interested to know, like an aunt who wants to know why a child is sad. Children, on the other hand, will put this query at the back of their minds and will want to follow Augustus the tiger as he goes looking for his smile. The succeeding pages show him going on a wonderful adventure featuring painterly landscapes.
I agree with the author as to how they resolve Augustus’ quest to find his smile. Because that's also the way I find mine when I'm feeling down.
It's only recently that I've been looking at children's picturebooks as I want to illustrate and write my own (I've already published one if you want to check it out) so finding Rayner's book at the used books store is a nice surprise. I will definitely be looking for more of her creations.
October 10, 2019
I have really fallen in love with these books by Catherine Rayner. Augustus and his smile is another beautifully illustrated book about a tiger who had lost his smile. During his search through the mountains, the trees, the ocean and the desert he realised that his smile has always been with him. When reading this book I enjoyed the layout of the text, it was very visual and represented the illustrations well. This would make the book more accessible for younger children who may not fully be able to access all the language yet in a fun engaging way. Would love to read this to my own class in the future great book.
December 6, 2019
~ Catherine Rayner is the study of an author project I am doing so excuse the sudden influx of her books ~
Another super sweet and super simple storybook, this one focused solely on the titular character on a journey of self discovery to find his lost smile.
I thought the book was beautifully made, but almost more for the adult readers than children. Although the moral is age appropriate, I felt that the description and conclusion was maybe more artistically pleasing for an older audience than for a child who may just get a bit bored and have to be encouraged to fully appreciate the message.
Another super sweet and super simple storybook, this one focused solely on the titular character on a journey of self discovery to find his lost smile.
I thought the book was beautifully made, but almost more for the adult readers than children. Although the moral is age appropriate, I felt that the description and conclusion was maybe more artistically pleasing for an older audience than for a child who may just get a bit bored and have to be encouraged to fully appreciate the message.
July 30, 2020
A wonderful concept and gorgeous illustrations. About a tiger that has lost his smile so he goes on a search to find it. He searches high and low, through seas and deserts and explores our beautiful world. Eventually Augustus the tiger sees his reflection in a puddle and realizes he’s smiling 😁 my students really enjoyed this book and I definitely did too. It’s simple in concept and yet manages to leave you appreciating the beauty that mother nature has to offer and the many smiles she’s put on our own faces.
September 12, 2020
I znów Catherine Rayner mnie ucieszyła swoją książką dla dzieci. Tym razem poznajemy pewnego smutnego tygrysa syberyjskiego o imieniu Augustus, który zgubił uśmiech i wyrusza w podróż, by go odszukać. Piękna historia, w której to dowiadujemy się, że szczęście jest w nas, tylko musimy zacząć dostrzegać cuda codzienności - a jest ich wiele, cała masa!
Bardzo lubię ilustracje Catherine Rayner, mają w sobie zarazem prostotę jak i rozmach, artystyczny smak. Wszystko to tworzy mądrą i miłą dla oka książkę dla dzieci o ponadczasowej treści.
Bardzo lubię ilustracje Catherine Rayner, mają w sobie zarazem prostotę jak i rozmach, artystyczny smak. Wszystko to tworzy mądrą i miłą dla oka książkę dla dzieci o ponadczasowej treści.
November 8, 2022
Quite simply one of my favourite books. Catherine Rayner both wrote and illustrated the book. The book is about a sombre tiger who cannot find his smile, we follow his adventure far and wide. He crawls under bushes, climbed trees, trekked through desserts, over mountains and swam to the bottom of the sea. No luck. When the rain pours, that is when Augustus discovers something.
The book is so beautiful both in literacy and Visually. I love reading this book and love so many of Catherine's books.
The book is so beautiful both in literacy and Visually. I love reading this book and love so many of Catherine's books.
August 7, 2025
Summary (if you care about spoilers for children's books, skip to the next section)
Augustus has lost his smile. He looks for it under bushes, on top of trees, on the tallest mountains, in the deepest oceans, only to find it in a puddle after frolicking in the rain.
Illustrations
I love Catherine Rayner's distinctive style
Fun factor
It's more aww than haha
Is it supposed to teach children something?
There's happiness all around, you just need to know where to look
Bottom line
Enjoyable
Augustus has lost his smile. He looks for it under bushes, on top of trees, on the tallest mountains, in the deepest oceans, only to find it in a puddle after frolicking in the rain.
Illustrations
I love Catherine Rayner's distinctive style
Fun factor
It's more aww than haha
Is it supposed to teach children something?
There's happiness all around, you just need to know where to look
Bottom line
Enjoyable
November 12, 2020
Sweet story about a tiger loosing his smile, he looked everywhere to find it and as it began to rain he danced around and found his smile again. It is good as it is hard to explain to children that it's okay to be sad sometimes and it is okay to be happy. This story can show different emotions through finding a smile. It could lead to a nice PSHE activity about things that make you smile.
Lovely illustrations too.
Lovely illustrations too.
November 12, 2020
a nice book built around the theme of happiness and smiling. a great read to include when thinking about feelings and the theme of happiness. lovely conclusion that you will always have your smile if your happy and do things you enjoy. this could link to a discussion about what makes students happy, lead to a project on their favourite things (makes me think of sound of music). a nice way to look at positive emotions
Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews