We Became Jaguars
Author: Dave Eggers
Illustrator: Woodrow White
Chronicle Books
Ages 4-8
Kids will delight in this tale where the kid is the responsible one!
Left alone with his grandmother he has only met once, a little boy looks on with trepidation at his grandmother with her long white hair and glamorous red nails. He is very hesitant, as she convinces him to become a jaguar crawling first along the carpeted floors of the house and then into the nearby forest. The transformation from human to beast is captured beautifully on a bifold illustration depicting them as half human, half jaguar stalking into the night.
The pair trapeze through the forest, the little jaguar very skeptical all through. It’s a beautiful inversion of roles, from the grandmother eating a rabbit, while the little boy demures stating he’s allergic to when the boy remembers he has school so they must head back. Kids will delight in this tale where the kid is the responsible one!
The illustrations are bright and vivid depictions of nighttime adventures and a nice departure from the daytime scenes we see often in children’s literature.
The last page of the book explains that the book was part of the Young Editors Project where young readers participate in manuscript review. I find this a delightful little tidbit. The book certainly reads to me like the pretend play I overhear my kids participate in when they don’t think I’m listening.
We Became Jaguars (Support an Independent Bookstore)*
We Became Jaguars (Amazon)*
More books for this Age Group can be found here.
My thanks to Chronicle Books for providing a Review Copy of this book. All opinions provided herein are my own.
Please, leave comments! I love a HEALTHY exchange of ideas. After all, critical thinking is essential to life.
*When something is purchased using one of our affiliate links, we may earn a small commission. We do not accept any monies for any editorial reviews. Our opinions, to the chagrin of many, are our own.