Tig and Lily

Tig, a tiny marmalade-colored house cat who's convinced he's a tiger, makes himself at home in the zoo habitat of Lily, a large, levelheaded tiger, in this tongue-in-cheek graphic novel series launch by Thompson (Escape from Camp Cooties). When Tig arrives--"It's so great to be home!" he declares--Lily is initially confused by the feline's belief that she is not, in fact, a tiger like Tig. Lily is momentarily flummoxed, believing that maybe she really isn't a tiger, but confirmation from the habitat's interpretative plaque reminds her of what she is. Now more secure in her own skin, Lily is able to rescue Tig from a confrontation with two hostile tigers who attempt to take the air out of the kitty's inflated sense of self. "You can be whatever you want to be," Lily asserts, and this offer of friendship makes Tig almost conciliatory--even if he doesn't really change his stripes: "With a little more practice, you could be a tiger just like me," he says. The minimally detailed, single-panel drawings allow the jaunty dialogue to shine, and budding aficionados of snappy verbal repartee will find their funny bones thoroughly tickled. Ages 5--8. Agent: Judy Hansen, Hansen Literary. (May)

Two felines question each other's identities. Tig the cat barges into Lily's tiger pen at the city zoo and declares it home. Lily's confused when Tig says that he is a tiger, but Tig flips the script and raises questions over whether Lily is a tiger. Tig even goes so far as suggesting Lily's parents called her "Tiger" as a nickname, which causes Lily distress. Luckily for Lily, there are signs at the zoo that make it clear she's a tiger. Lily is able to laugh in self-awareness that she was coerced into an identity crisis at all and even confronts a couple of rude tigers who are mean to Tig over his assertion. This is a clever tale of self-image and how it can be reinforced or denied, and ultimately friendship blossoms between the pair as Lily tells Tig, "You can be whatever you want to be." Tig's consistent refusal to recognize Lily as a tiger threatens to cross over into its own form of bullying, but he comes off as more oblivious than malicious. The humorous dialogue is supported by artwork that demonstrates the tension between Tig and Lily, including colorful sound effects and facial expressions that convey Tig's self-confident attitude and Lily's various states of unease. A whimsical reminder that respect and friendship sometimes matter more than winning an argument. (facts about cats and tigers, how to draw Lily and Tig) (Graphic fiction. 5-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.