BLOG TOUR: Tiger in My Soup by Kashmira Sheth - Review + Giveaway!

Hi there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers...the place to be when the weather outside truly can't make up it's mind as to what season it should be and all you want to do is curl up with a good book.  (Psst!  Mother Nature...it's Spring!)

Today's post may have you a bit more excitable than the image I just placed before your eyes because it features a book that requires something on YOUR part...the use of your imagination.  Feel like granting us access?  Well alrighty then!  Here we go.  Please join me in welcoming via Peachtree Publishers BLOG TOUR, today's book of choice....

Tiger in My Soup

by

Kashmira Sheth

Illustrated by

Jeffrey Bobeler

About the book...

Sometimes it's almost impossible to get your big sister to read your favorite book to you. Sometimes you have to go to great lengths even to get her attention! But if you're really creative and use your imagination, you might just get what you want. Take care, though, not to go too far. Once you conjure up a tiger, there's no telling where it might lead...

I admit, this one had me perplexed at first.  How so especially since it's a picture book?  ...you might ask?  Ah well, that's easy to answer....but it's a two part answer.  First off, if you're discounting children's books into a category that is utterly predictable and unable to make you think...THINK AGAIN.  You're selling them short as well as yourself because they DO spark thoughts you haven't thought, feelings you have yet to feel, and moments of reflection that you haven't yet reflected upon.  Second...the story isn't exactly straight forward, or rather it requires the use of quite a bit of imagination to really take shape.  Allow me to briefly explain...

On the surface, we have a young boy left in the care of his sister starving for attention...and a side of lunch.
The attention he craves is easy peasy...READ to him, but she is a typical teenager, immersed in her own world...although her own world is a book in this case as well.  (Cool, right?  TWO readers in one book!  Love it!)  Push comes to shove and one bowl of alphabet soup later, we're looking at a young lad fending off a ferocious tiger until his sister wizens up and reads him his favorite story...the end.  ^-*  See?  Now for those going the literal route (as I was), you might have just stumbled at the end...but take a step back and reconsider things from the young boy's point of view.

The lack of attention led to reading on his own.  The reading on his own led to opening the door of his imagination.  The letters spelling ROAR in his soup played right into the story he was JUST reading, a coincidence maybe, but not in his mind and thus the story has come to life!  See?  An imagination can be a dangerous thing...but not when actively used as you might have presumed but rather if not engaged.  It goes dormant like a sleeping volcano and the inevitable eruption is what creates the chaos 

Overall, I'd say this is a cautionary tale to all siblings left in charge of young ones or even a warning for babysitter's for that matter (just kidding...sorta... ^_^) but mostly a great way to illustrate how much fun reading can be.  It engages the imagination, conjures family time out of down time and creates lasting memories to share across the ages.  So if you're ready for a story with a surprising twist and illustrations that let the literary jungle pounce right off the page, this is definitely the book for you.  Recommended read for all ages...or at least everyone and anyone who's not afraid to employ their imaginations.

Review copy received courtesy of Emily at Peachtree Publishers.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title as well as their ever growing list of books great for all ages, be sure to stop over at their site, check out their blog, like them on Facebook, or follow along on Twitter...or all of the above; you know I do.  ^_^  This book is available now so be on the look out for it on a bookstore shelf near you.

Now remember, today's post was part of a week long blog tour and seeing how the week is definitely NOT over (and really, with books the adventure NEVER ends!), don't forget to check out all the fun they were having yesterday on Kid Lit Reviews, the second stop of the day over at A Word's Worth and make plans to stop by There's a Book tomorrow for even more excitement!

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Speaking of excitement, I've got one more bit of fun to ROAR your way and that's in the form of ...you guessed it, a CONTEST!  Thanks to the generous folks over at Peachtree Publishers (You guys, rock!), I have the opportunity to give YOU a CHANCE TO WIN a copy of this very title to call you own!  Read it yourself, share it with a loved one, donate it to your local library...but whatever you do, SPREAD THE LOVE, the wonder and imagination that reading inspires in all its forms and for all ages!

We'll keep this one simple.  Fill out the GOOGLE FORM below and you're entered to win!  Of course, if you want a few bonus points or simply the satisfaction for sharing your bookish side with the world, feel free to leave a comment either about the post or simply WHY YOU LOVE READING no matter the form, genre, or location you prefer. 

Entries accepted TODAY through midnight CST, April 3rd, 2013.  Open to U.S. residents only; no P.O. Boxes please.  Winner will be randomly selected from entries received and contacted by Friday, April 5th, 2013.  They will have 48 hours to respond with their FULL NAME and MAILING ADDRESS (unless included in the original entry!) for prize send out, otherwise a new winner will be chosen.

  

Until next time...GOOD LUCK...and happy reading!