What a load of sh1t that book is. Am I missing something? is it some lofty allegory for something from the 60’s?

We were gifted it as a ‘classic’ and I decided something different was on the cards for the daughter’s bedtime story and I’ve never been so underwhelmed. Which is saying a lot considering the pish I lovingly blab at her every night. Whats the moral? Don’t let scroungers wreck your home? I know there’s a rich history of grim/inappropriate nursery rhymes and the like, but I couldn’t get this one. I actually thought there had been a production error and the book was missing some pages. A million seller too apparently. Mental.

It’s a cynical marketing ploy by the tinned tiger food industry.

If Sophie’s mum had had a couple of tins in it would have been a different story.

Maybe you could pop it under your coat to insulate your cold, dead heart?

(Thanks Campbell soups)

Maybe you could pop it under your coat to insulate your cold, dead heart?

literally the best use for that book.

I assumed it was the valium induced hallucination of a bored 70s housewife.

I also don’t “get it” but for some reason, (lots of) kids seem to love it – I guess we lose the ability to see stories through a child’s eyes. For them there is no reason whatsoever that a friendly tiger wouldn’t knock on the door and eat all the food in the house and drink every bit of liquid. And all finishing with a slap-up meal in a cafe with sausages and ice cream.

IIRC, somebody on STW works for the publishers and has met the author and confirmed what I always thought to be true, that it’s not an allegory for Nazi Germany.

It’s just an elaborate excuse for a 60’s housewife not having the dinner on the table when the man of the house gets home.

Yep. When I read it, I keep thinking there must be some hidden meaning to it and one day it’ll pop out at me.

But, nope. I think it’s just not a very good book.

Get her this book instead – much more acceptable moral – http://amzn.eu/gJEd5Zr

IIRC, somebody on STW works for the publishers and has met the author and confirmed what I always thought to be true, that it’s not an allegory for Nazi Germany.

The author said exactly the same thing herself. It’s just a story she told her daughter after they had been to the zoo.

I was given a lift last Friday to Bisley to go shooting in a Tiger. It was quite draughty, but also quite warm. That doesn’t help much does it 😉

The author said exactly the same thing herself. It’s just a story she told her daughter after they had been to the zoo.

What?! I’ve been telling my 18 month old that the Tiger represents the Bourgeoisie and Sophie and her mum represent the Proletariat. Now it turns out it’s just a story about a hungry Tiger?

At least I can still be sure that “The Pirate Cruncher” *is* about the Miner’s Strike.

what I most like about this book is Sophie’s Dad sitting on the chair as they tell him a tiger has eaten and drunk everything in the house (including his beer)….the look on his face says it all.

Well, if the Nazi allegory in TTTCFT confounds you . . . wait ’til you get a load of Little Rabbit Foo Foo.

Narcissism, pimped bikes, witchcraft, weaponry, dwarves AND TIGERS!!!!

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cOT4T2jDho[/video]

agreed ’tis crap,
Never tickle a Tiger is better
julia donaldson stuff obvs

I like
The Return of the Jaberwock
& Beowulf the Brave

by Oakley Graham

Thought this was going to be the Sean Lock edition “the tiger who came for a pint”

I liked it. Except the bit about the bloody tiger drinking all the beer, that always seemed a bit off.

It’s nicely illustrated and has a Tiger in it. My 2 year old thinks it’s brilliant.

He also loves Goodnight Moon. If you don’t like the Tiger story then I expect this is another ‘classic’ that will rile you.

it’s a kids book about an imaginary situation, it doesn’t need a morality tale. Just read and enjoy it. In fact kids books with a message are invariably crap.

however, sophie’s mum is definitely an alcoholic and is blatantly having affairs with the milkman and grocer’s boy.

What’s wrong with a bit of nonsense now and again? Milligan? Carroll? Lear?

That’s all it is. But it’s none the worse for it. It’s humour through juxtaposition.

I always thought the plot would be immeasurably improved if having eatean all the sandwiches on the plate and drunk all the tea and then looked around the kitchen to see what else he could find, he didn’t then decide to eat Sophie and her mum.

What a let down.

Story for children fails to entertain adult. Who’d have thought…

Just be thankful you don’t have to read Mr Men stories every night, those go on forever.

Especially Mr Chatterbox. I always try to steer my daughter away from that one.

IIRC, somebody on STW works for the publishers and has met the author and confirmed what I always thought to be true, that it’s not an allegory for Nazi Germany.

What does she know, she only wrote it. We’re the ones who read it.

Trust the Tale not the teller.

I always thought it was a bit weird, but in quite a surrealist sort of way.

I did prefer reading this though.

Just be thankful you don’t have to read Mr Men stories every night, those go on forever.

I’d rather read Mr Men books than the Lighthouse Keeper’s bloody Cat every frigging night.

For a really ace book to read with your kids get Fox in Socks by Dr Seuss. Read out loud it’s hilarious, extra points if you read it fast then get your kid to try reading the same bit. Try this….

Let’s have a little talk about tweetle beetles….

What do you know about tweetle beetles? Well…

When tweetle beetles fight,
it’s called a tweetle beetle battle.

And when they battle in a puddle,
it’s a tweetle beetle puddle battle.

AND when tweetle beetles battle with paddles in a puddle,
they call it a tweetle beetle puddle paddle battle.

AND…

When beetles battle beetles in a puddle paddle battle
and the beetle battle puddle is a puddle in a bottle…
…they call this a tweetle beetle bottle puddle paddle battle muddle.

AND…

When beetles fight these battles in a bottle with their paddles
and the bottle’s on a poodle and the poodle’s eating noodles…
…they call this a muddle puddle tweetle poodle beetle noodle
bottle paddle battle.

AND…

Now wait a minute, Mr. Socks Fox!

When a fox is in the bottle where the tweetle beetles battle
with their paddles in a puddle on a noodle-eating poodle,
THIS is what they call…

…a tweetle beetle noodle poodle bottled paddled
muddled duddled fuddled wuddled fox in socks, sir!

it doesn’t need a morality tale.

true, it does need to make some kind of sense. Talking greedy tigers, fine that’s not the issue. The ending is piss poor, and doesn’t relate in ANY way shape or form to the entire story. I felt sorry for wasting her time it was that bad.

Just be thankful you don’t have to read Mr Men stories every night, those go on forever.

we do, in French, as she is half French.

If you think that’s bad – try one of Judith Kerr’s other ones: ‘Mog in the Dark’

It’s a stream of consciousness polemic from a cat having an out of body experience.

It suggests that the author was on a therapeutic dose of LSD. Maybe other stuff too.

it does need to make some kind of sense

No it doesn’t.

it does have an ending: they bought tiger food in case he came for tea again, but he never did. Then you see a picture of the tiger playing the bugle. makes perfect sense.

Mr Men books, fortunately no longer, we are on Dr Seuss and Roald Dahl at the moment for the eldest. Dr Seuss is particularly excellent, although I would now welcome a change from Green Eggs and Ham.

Maybe you should just stick to the Narnia stuff.

In my house the biggest tension is when the Tiger drinks all Daddy’s beer. My children understand what a huge crime that would be.

EDIT : It’s surreal nonsense but if you want to read a meaning into it, it’s maybe that you shouldn’t let someone you know is dangerous into your home, even if they’re acting well behaved..

Then you see a picture of the tiger playing the bugle

ah yes. That’s cleared it right up. Mods, please delete this thread. Turns out I was wrong all along.

If you think that’s bad – try one of Judith Kerr’s other ones: ‘Mog in the Dark’

We have a bunch of these. Waste of paper.

it does need to make some kind of sense.

It makes perfect sense.

The mercurial and transitory temperament of anthropomorphic tigers is well documented.

Shere Khan was always pissing of for months at a time and nobody knew where he was.

Your anthropomorphic tiger is also famously fond of the kind of vittles normally to be found in your average domestic kitchen setting.
Breakfast cereal is, I believe, one of their favourite meals.

It’s a cynical marketing ploy by the tinned tiger food industry.

If Sophie’s mum had had a couple of tins in it would have been a different story.

This.

however, sophie’s mum is definitely an alcoholic and is blatantly having affairs with the milkman and grocer’s boy.

And this.

Or it’s a story about a tiger coming to tea, because kids love that shit.

No it doesn’t.

yes it does. its sh!t.

Or it’s a story about a tiger coming to tea, because kids love that shit

the tiger coming to tea is fine, even what it gets up to is fine. The ending is rubbish. The trouble is, you don’t see it coming. It’s like that moment in Dallas when an entire plot all revealed to be a dream. I nearly thew it out the window in such a rage I was.

Agree 100% – memorably bad, charmless book. I’ve read a few books to the kids where you think this is so bad it must be some sort of hidden joke, but they’re all forgotten titles. For a book like this to endure from the 60s is really strange.

I used to work for the publisher of Tiger Who Came To Tea (and Dr Seuss, amongst many others) and have met Judith Kerr many times.

It’s definitively NOT about Nazis. Also Judith is amazing, she’s in her 90s, less than 5 foot tall, and loves a drink. Last time I saw her she was necking negronis at an award ceremony.

The book is definitely nonsensical, but as others have said, kids love it. 50th anniversary of the first publication next year, so she’s clearly doing something right!