The Day Tiger Rose Said Goodbye
Jane Yolen, author and Jim LaMarche, illustrator
Random House, 2011, Fiction
Suitable for: Preschool and Elementary (ages 4 and up)
Theme: Pet Loss, Grief
Synopsis: “The day Tiger Rose said goodbye was a soft spring day, the sun only half risen. Little brilliant butterflies, like bits of colored paper, floated among the flowers.” Tiger Rose is a gray striped tabby cat who is growing old and knows the end of her life is nearing. She heads off to say goodbye to the family she loves, Rolf the dog she fights with, and her nature friends. She finds her favorite napping place near a rose-bush and quietly makes her transition.
Why I like this book: Jane Yolen’s story is a celebration of Tiger Rose’s life and provides a beautiful, sensitive and reassuring way to explain death to children. It will bring comfort to children and adults who have experienced the death of a pet or have an aging pet. Activity: This is an opportunity for children to share their feelings and favorite stories about a beloved pet, draw pictures, and make a collage or remembrance book.
Every Friday, authors and KidLit bloggers post a favorite picture book. To see a complete listing of all the Perfect Picture Books (PPB) with resources, please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s Perfect Picture Books.
Copyright (c) 2011, Patricia Howe Tilton, All Rights Reserved
Children's Books Heal 
This is beautiful, Pat. Definitely a perfect picture book for pet loss. Just looking at the cover and reading the opening made me misty-eyed – I am such an animal lover. So many kids have to deal with pet loss. And a book like this, which deals sensitively with the issue, can help them deal with the loss of loved ones as well. Thank you for sharing.
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Susanna, I’m glad you liked the selection. The illustrations, especially the last one, is very illuminous. I have reviewed other books on pet loss, but this one just is above the others. Jane Yolen is a favorite, so I’m not surprised.
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I’ve been looking for a book like this. It probably makes it easier to see it from a cat’s point of view vs. a person. (Of course, I’ll have to hide it from my husband. I don’t know what we’ll do when our dogs get to this stage. I might need to pull out this book).
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Glad you liked the book. It is by far the best picture book I read on pet loss. There is a good book on dogs called “Good-bye Sheepie.” You know, as I wrote the ages down, I knew this book was also a good book for adults.
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The cover is beautiful, and I agree that books like this are so important to have for little kids. Some things are hard to explain or even put a positive spin on so it’s important to share things in a way that hey can understand. Thanks for sharing Pat.
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Abby, Glad you liked my selection. I just loved this book. Our poodle passed three years ago at age 17. She was like a daughter. You are losing a family member. And, children need support when they confront a death.
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This book sounds excellent (not surprising, since it’s written by Jane Yolen.) It’s a difficult subject, but looking at the death of a pet can help not only with dealing with that death when it comes, but also, I suspect, with the death of a person in a child’s life.
Thank you for sharing this, Pat.
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Beth, I know Jane Yolen is the best. When I saw this at the library, I had to read it. As you know, I reviewed other pet loss books, but they don’t compare to this one. I agree, I think it is a good idea to start early with kids, so that when they deal with the death of a grandparent, for examaple, they already have a foundation. You would really like the book because she essentially shows death as a very natural process, through the cat. Thanks for commenting.
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I love a Jane Yolen book, and this one is especially sweet not only because of the beautiful delicate pictures but the delicate way in which Jane puts across her message of loss. Young or old, we are allowed a time for grief within the covers of this book.
Thankyou Pat.
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I thought you might like this one. Thank you for your comments. Why don’t you join us on Susanna’s blog and contribute a Perfect Picture Book selection each week. You have some good ones to offer. Once you get the format down, it won’t be hard.:)
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thank you for inviting me Pat. The Internet has been down of late and I did not know of Susanna’s project, I thought I would now be too late.
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You’re welcome. Just contact Susanna and let her know you want to participate. She would love it! You could share some unique books. 🙂
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I hope I don’t ever need this book for my kids while they are young, but what a lovely one to gently put them at ease. Giving a snippet from the book is great to show you the voice that the author has and you can tell it is gentle already. Love Jane Yolen of course! I can imagine those activities being great in a classroom too.
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Thank you Catherine. As I’m sure you’d agree, Yolen is such a compassionate writer. I fell in love with this book immediately. The last page is absoultely beautiful. I also believe it could be used to introduce death. I remember burying dead birds and holding my own funeral. Kids see it in many ways. This should be a fun project.
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Pat, I do agree with you, I think this is my favorite picture book on pet loss too, and this is such an important topic for so many kids. Jane Yolen does empathy and sensitive topics just as well as bold humour! Lovely first choice.
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Joanna, I know it is mine. Agree with everything you said. She really shows how death is a very natural part of life. – Pat
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I’m surprised I’ve never heard of this book given that Jane Yolen is one of my favorite authors and LeMarche one of my favorite illustrators. Can’t wait to seek this one out. Good books about death and dying are hard to find for young children. I know because I looked for them when my father passed away.
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Julie, thank you for commenting. Jan Yolen is a favorite of mine. I ran across this new treasure by accident. Have reviewed other pet loss books, and this one is by far the best. You can tell in LeMarche’s beautiful illustrations it has a gentle message. You might check out my sidebar, and click on grief. I do something every year for military children, I found some very creative books with acitivites/resources. — Pat
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What a sweet book, and I’m sure very helpful for children who have lost a pet or have an older pet that won’t be around much longer.
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Connie, I’m glad you liked the book. Yolen is such a compassionate writer. And her message is that death is a natural process. Thanks for stopping.
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This sounds like a lovely book. Even the illustration on the cover is so serene.
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Glad you liked The Day Tiger Rose said Goodbye. A beautiful book. I love LaMarche’s illustrations. Have another book I’m going to review soon, and I took one look at the artwork and knew the illustrator was LaMarche. I’mso glad Susanna has started Just Right Books — it can become a wonderful resource. Pat
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