The Tiger who came to tea

In the list of favourite books in my profile, there is the title The Tiger who came to tea. This is the one book on the list that has prompted people to say “me too, that’s one of my favourites”. I suspect there are many fans of this book out there. And now Tiger-lovers have been spotted in the northern heartlands, up there amongst the bears (perhaps they hope the Tiger will keep the bears away). I think it’s time we had a Tigerfest. I am hosting it right here. I am going to write a list of the things I like most about the book, and then you can use the comments section to add the things you like about it. If you haven’t read the book, then you will just have to mosey on over to Amazon and get a copy. It’s written and illustrated by Judith Kerr. There you are. That’s all you need to know. Whether you’re a regular commenter, a lurker, or a passing browser, if you’re a Tiger-lover, this fest is for you.

Let’s start with the Tiger himself. He’s so approachable and kindly. Sophie cuddles him and hangs onto his tail. Kindly and cuddly, but enigmatic. He’s a riddle. I love that mystery about him. Who would want their visiting tiger to be anything other than mysterious?

Sophie’s clothes. They’re so wonderfully dated (the book was first published in 1968). Of course it’s not just Sophie’s clothes. The book is a wonderful snapshot of domestic life at the time. Her mother’s clothes, the table with the yellow formica top, the blue star pattern on the crockery, the design of the kitchen units, buns for tea, "Daddy's beer" and "Daddy's supper", the excitement of going out to a cafe – they all speak of another age. It is the age in which a huge swathe of the mother-readers of the book were the Sophies of their time. I think that’s why Sophie’s clothes head the list for me – I’m sure I had a shift dress (we’d have called it a pinafore) and patterned tights like hers.

I love the way Sophie and her mummy are so unfazed by the tiger, so hospitable to him. Then when Sophie’s daddy comes home, he sits in a chair with an expression that one can only describe as fazed. Fazed and gormless. I think the tiger experience passed him by emotionally as well as physically. To give him credit, he does come up with the café idea, but the gormless expression doesn’t leave him. He is a man out of his depth here.

My children’s favourite bit is the ...good-bye…good-bye…good-bye… weaving out of the tiger’s trumpet, curling in the air as the smile curls on his face. I imagine the editor saying to Judith Kerr “we’ll take those words out; they’re not really adding anything, are they? And they look a bit odd”, and Judith Kerr fighting her corner and saying “you might not like them, but children will love them. Trust me”.

And to finish, back to the mystery. The book is full of mystery. First, and on a rather mundane level, I am puzzled as to why her parents take Sophie to the café wearing her nightie. Second, and this is both mystical and mysterious I think, look at the ginger cat on the pavement, whom Sophie and her parents don’t notice as they head out in the dark to the café. Is he somehow the tiger? It is a full moon, after all.

Your turn now.