I enjoyed the story and the illustrations. A sweet and gentle way to encourage kids to be bold and step out of their comfort zone. While it takes place at Halloween, this story is great all year round.

A Tiger Called Tomás is a cute children’s picture book about a boy who has a hard time making friends. He’s a good little boy, but after moving he's afraid the new people in the neighborhood won't like him. When his mother brings something home for him, his life quickly changes, and he’s able to feel more comfortable with himself.

This book is basically a reissued version that’s similar to the original A Tiger Called Thomas but with a Latino boy as the focus. It was wonderful having the Spanish sprinkled throughout the story, and I really appreciated the message. My daughter also loved all the attention to nature throughout the book as well. This became one of her favorite picture books when we first read it.

The illustrations are beautiful, and the book has a very positive message. This would be great for shy children or children being introduced to a new neighborhood or even a new school.

5*****

A sweet, empathetic story and warm, gentle illustrations make A Tiger Called Tomás a perfect book for kids who need help overcoming shyness or need help understanding the shy people around them. In this new edition of the 1963 book A Tiger Called Thomas, the reader meets Tomás, a young boy who moves to a new place and just sits and watches as his neighbors play and enjoy themselves. When his mother asks why he doesn’t join them, he responds that they probably won’t like him. It’s a familiar feeling for anyone with anxiety or self-esteem issues, and as the afterword notes, it takes on a special meaning in this bilingual edition: “making Tomás Latino would add yet another layer to his universal story: showing that his isolation felt as much about language as it was about skin color.”

When Tomás’s mother gets him a tiger costume and mask for Halloween, he’s able to go out and have fun for once because he thinks his disguise will shield him from the negative opinions he thinks other people have of him. It’s a heartbreaking sentiment, but it’s one that lots of kids and adults know all too well. At the story’s sincere and heartwarming conclusion, Tomás learns that his neighbors know him and like him much more than he thought they did. Charlotte Zolotow’s prose is sweet but never treacly; her writing is a remarkable combination of straightforward and kind-hearted, with lovely poetic flourishes that support the narrative without ever overwhelming it. Marta Álvarez Miguéns’s art is perfectly matched. Her use of light and color gives the characters an inner glow, subtly highlighting their warmth and kindness.

I didn’t know when I first read the story how many times it had been reissued — this is the fourth edition of the story — but with such deft handling of a deeply relatable issue, I’m not at all surprised. According to the afterword, each new version sees the cast of characters get more and more inclusive, and with such a rich but simple story I can see future editions continuing to spread its supportive, hopeful message: you don’t have to put on a mask to face the world, because you are more seen and more loved than you realize.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A great remake of an old classic. Love the latin element of it. Great, colorful pictures.

Tomás moves into a new neighborhood, but he worries that all of the kids and adults won't like him, so he just sits on his stoop. When Halloween comes and he gets to hide behind a tiger mask, he suddenly gains the confidence to talk to everyone and realizes his fears were unfounded.

I really liked the digital art in this. The cover and the end pages were especially pretty. This would be a great read to promote boldness and friendship.

First and foremost, the illustrations for this fourth edition of A Tiger Called Tomas are absolutely exquisite. The transition from summer to autumn was smooth and the portrayal of each character made them feel individual and unique, as if they have their own story. The writing gives an air of folktale-ness, and I enjoyed the inclusion of Spanish words. However, I felt that there could have been more of the Spanish language included in the text. As it is now, it felt somewhat as an afterthought. It would have been nice for Tomas to reply to his mother in Spanish, or think to himself in Spanish.

A very sweet little book that raises a child's confidence and show's them that it is easy to make friends. I really enjoyed reading this book. It had beautiful illustrations and a lovely message to convey to children. Highly recommended.

A Tiger Called Tomás is a heartwarming story about being the new kid. Tomás and his mother have just moved and Tomás isn't ready to make friends yet. He spends his days watching his new neighbors instead of approaching them because he thinks that no one will like him. As Halloween approaches Tomás mother has an idea, he can go trick-or-treating because he will be dressed as a tiger, no one will know it is him! He has a great time and after the neighbors keep calling him Tomás he realizes that they knew all along and he doesn't need to worry that no one will like him.

A Tiger Called Tomas is a picturebook written by Charlotte Zolotow and illustrated by Marta Alvarez Miguens. The original version of this book, A Tiger Called Thomas was published in 1963, and it has been updated and changed three other times, changing the appearance and race of Thomas and his neighbors to make it more inclusive and relatable to a variety of readers. In this incarnation the shy Tomas is Latino with some Spanish woven through the story so yet another group of children can see someone like themselves on the page.

A Tiger Called Tomas is a lovely story about a young boy that is very shy. He is too anxious to go introduce himself to neighbors, and is worries that they will not like him. As someone that has always had that kind of underlying conversation in the back of my own mind, I could empathize and relate to young Tomas. It is only when he is safely hidden behind his Halloween mask that he feels brave enough to go and interact with the people his family has been encouraging him to talk to through the whole book. This is a sweet and relatable story, and I think that any shy readers will be able to see themselves on the page- and those that do no understand that reluctance to put themselves out there might gain a little understand of how a shy person feels. This would be a great conversation starter about personalities and how we are all different, and kindness toward others. I would love the chance to see all four incarnations of this book together to see how wording changes and each illustrator made the book a little different.

Such a sweet story of a shy Latino boy who is afraid that his new neighbors won't like him and as a result does not give them a chance to get to know him. Feeling courageous once he puts on his tiger costume for Halloween and realizes no one will be able to see his face, Tomas finally leaves his house to go trick-or-treating on his own. He surprised when all of his neighbors recognize him immediately and welcome him into their homes or invite them over another day. When he gets home he feels less shy and looks forward to see his new friends again.
The illustrations are vivid and colorful -- absolutely wonderful! Republished with Latinx characters, a few text changes, and a few added Spanish words, this was a refreshing new version of the classic, relatable story.

This is a fun story to read around Halloween or help kids deal with a move. Tomas is new to town and finds confidence in his tiger costume. He soon realizes that his neighbors would love to be friends. A nice message and beautiful pictures.

The story, while a little complicated for a three year old, effectively shows how lonely it can be when a young child moves to a new neighborhood. The gentle support of the mother and the warm recognition from other children and neighbors he meets as he goes trick or treating should be especially reassuring. The illustrations are sweet and engaging as well.

I enjoyed the afterward to “A Tiger Called Tomas” - it was super interesting. However, based on the language of the book, I don’t think that the author fully understood shyness.

This book was originally published in 1963. It has been reissued a few times changing the illustrations, thus changing the ethnicity of the main character. This presentation is of a small Latino boy. Some of the text was changed to add some Spanish words, otherwise it is the same. The illustrations in this version are wonderful. They are large, colourful and show a sweet boy who is shy and afraid to venture out and meet new people because he worries they will not like him.

Tomás moves into a brand new neighbourhood and because of his shyness is afraid to step off of his front stoop to meet any of the local people. Day after day he is a silent observer of people and pets passing by and their activities. His sweet mamá keeps telling him over and over that of course everyone will like him but Tomás won't budge from his stoop. When Hallowe'en approaches, his wise mamá buys him a tiger costume complete with a mask. Tomás is confident to go out trick or treating because he is sure no one will recognize him. Of course all the neighbours recognize him and at the end of the night, he has new friends and is not afraid to go off the stoop.

This is a great story! I think any child who has moved to a new neighborhood will appreciate it. It does not diminish the feelings Tomás has, but helps him to become more self-assured. If you read the back cover you will see that the goal of the story was to see the child for who they are, not the colour of their skin or their ethnicity. A wonderful story to be in any school library.

Tomás has moved to a new town, and while his mamá encourages him to reach out to those around him, Tomás is afraid they won't like him and doesn't talk to anyone. When Halloween comes, Tomás, in his tiger costume, sets out for a night of trick-or-treating--and finds that his neighbors know who he is, even in his costume, and that they really do like him.

I don't think I've read the earlier versions of this story, but I really liked this book. The text wasn't too heavy-handed, and the illustrations were absolutely beautiful. Really nicely done.

I read an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I love this book, this topic is ever present in all kinds of social situations for children. As I read it I could remember past students that experienced situations like this young boy was experiencing during my years of teaching. I really love that it has been rewritten with a Latino child in mind. Although there are many books in print for this topic area, children of color are not represented nearly as much as other races. As a Latina teacher I appreciate the author and publisher’s choice to be inclusive of other cultures.

A story about Tomas, a boy who’s moved to a new neighborhood and worries about not being liked, dresses up for Halloween and visits his new surrounding neighbors. The story was cute and it focuses on a somewhat universal theme: newness, loneliness, and anxiety. I feel students will relate to this, and the illustrations are beautiful.

The galley itself was hard to read, however. Pages were out of order and it was hard to tell which order they were meant to be in. The plot itself was good, (if I discerned the correct order, that is). That was my only true issue with the galley, yet it did influence the readability I feel the author likely intended.

I like this book but I don't like this book. Thomas is the new kid in town. He spends his days sitting on the stoop watching others because he is too afraid no one will like him. On Halloween he can put on a mask and go out on the town, but it turns out everyone knows who is is. The idea of the story is that you just need to try, and that you can not be afraid of not making friends. If you never try, you never have. But as someone who moved a lot, why didn’t he meet the kids in school? If he is home schooled, why didn’t mom try a playgroup. Too many unanswered questions for this Navy Brat reader.

This re-issued book was originally published in 1963. The text is the same but the illustrations have been totally replaced and are beautiful to behold.

Tomás moves into a brand new neighbourhood and because of his shyness is afraid to step off of his front stoop to meet any of the local people. Day after day he is a silent observer of people and pets passing by and their activities. He is scared that no one will like him so he won't take the risk trying to meet anyone for fear of being rejected.

His sweet mamá keeps telling him over and over that of course everyone will like him but Tomás won't budge from his stoop.

When Hallowe'en arrives his wise mamá brings him home a tiger costume to wear.

"Try this on," she said. Tomás puts on the orange-and-black striped suite with its quilted tail.
He puts on the mask with its long whiskers."

Will he be brave on Hallowe'en Eve and go knocking door to door to fill up his treat bag with generous treats from his neighbours? Will it be discovered that it really is Tomás behind that tiger mask? Will anyone even be able to recognize Tomás or even care if it's really him?

I think the outcome of his adventure will be very pleasing to Tomás. He is about to discover that the locals will find him very approachable and very likeable just like his mamá told him all along. At the end of the evening, with his treat bag full, Tomás sheds his costume and a new self-confident boy emerges, one that is ready to respond in a positive way to all the kind neighbour's welcoming words and acts of kindness towards him.

This is a wonderful book to share and to discuss self-assurance and braveness by meeting doubts and fears head on. I highly recommend this book.

Such a sweet story! I think any child who has moved to a new neighborhood will appreciate this short tale! Poor, lone;y Tomas, new to the neighborhood and too shy to meet his neighbors. For Halloween his mother gives him a tiger costume to wear. As he goes door to door, he discovers everyone knows it's him in the costume and he makes friends with the neighbors. Pleasantly reassuring! Illustrations were wonderful! I can't wait to see the book in color!