Tiny Tiger Says Why Can’t I? (Tiny Tiger, Big Feelings #1)

Zeroing in on a specific grievance—“Why can’t I?”—in this comic tussle of a picture book, previous collaborators Prasadam-Halls and Small (I’m Sticking with You) kick off a new series about a small tiger experiencing sizable feelings. Via rhyming text that builds the protagonist’s case incident by incident, a young anthropomorphized tiger rails against two loving caregivers over the indignities of constant denial: “Why can’t I have the ice cream?// Why can’t I have the cake?// I know it’s past bedtime.../ but I’m really wide-awake!” Softly textured images that feature a subtle, collage-like dimensionality emphasize the feline’s impressive emotional repertoire, which runs from mischievous enthusiasm to annoyed affect to arms-crossed defiance. Following spread after spread of being wrangled by the adults, the young tiger’s quick mounting of a tall slide’s ladder results in the character’s gaining their own understanding of their limits—one that prompts them to understand that “you know stuff that’s good for me,/ even when I don’t.” Though the resolution leans more into deference than development (“When you say it’s bedtime,/ I’ll respectfully agree”), the plot’s exploits will be familiar fare for anyone who’s been on either end of the bath time/bedtime/broccoli battle. Ages 4–8. (June)