A Tiger Called Tomás

PreS-Gr 2—When a young boy moves into a new neighborhood, he's afraid he might not be liked. First published in 1963, this latest edition of the timeless classic sees the little boy's name change from Thomas to Tomás and his family is a Spanish speaking one. Tomás sits on his stoop and watches the comings and goings of his neighbors: Marie, who likes to play hopscotch; the lady with the black cat who lives down the street; Gerald, the tall boy who looks lonely; the lady across the street who likes to work in the garden; and the old man who walks his poodle past Tomás' house everyday. Yet, in spite of encouragement from his mom, Tomás will not leave his stoop. All this changes on Halloween, when, disguised as a tiger, he goes trick-or-treating. Tomás finds his neighbors are nice and friendly; they all ask him to come back, and best of all, they all know his name. Suddenly he feels wonderful… maravilloso. Alvarez's full-bleed, playful illustrations are warm and colorful, further reinforcing the emotion of the tale. There is an afterword by Crescent Dragonwagon, Zolotow's daughter.