Grandparents are pretty much our saviours when it comes to the school holidays. As working parents, we are hugely grateful for the fact that Charlotte's Grandma and Grandad, and her Nanny and Dodo pitch in and look after her.
In "There's a Tiger in the Garden" one little girl named Nora loves her Grandma but really loves Grandma's tall tales.
Granny claims that once, she saw a tiger in the garden. Nora is bored and Granny explains that searching for tigers in the undergrowth would be a fine game to play.
Granny knows, you see, that Nora's imagination is like most children's - rich and varied, and expert at creating worlds of illusion even in the mundane everyday world. So Nora goes to explore.
In her adventures she meets a lot more than a Tiger, but eventually finds the polite striped-pyjama-ed chap basking in the sunshine, doing what tigers do best, taking it easy!
Nora will never be bored at Grandma's ever again!
We loved the dual messages here, that our elders impart such wisdom that they always seem to know the right thing to do or say in any situation. We loved the celebration of children's imagination, and boy would we ever love a garden like that!
Charlotte's best bit: Toy eating plants! EEK!
Daddy's favourite bit: A gloriously illustrated double celebration of imagination and fab grandparents, what a delicious little book!
(Kindly sent to us for review by Frances Lincoln Children's Books)
"There's a Tiger in the Garden"
Written and Illustrated by Lizzy Stewart
Published by Frances Lincoln Children's Books
Publication Date (Hardback): 7th April 2016