What do you think?
Rate this book
The Dancing Tiger
When the full moon sits high in the sky, a loving tiger makes his presence known when the world is fast asleep in a secret meadow beyond the hill and there, with the accompaniment of a special little girl, spends the night dancing and twirling until the sun comes up in the morning.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published September 29, 2005
About the author
Malachy Doyle
140 books21 followersMalachy Doyle is the author of Antonio on the Other Side of the World, Getting Smaller and many other books for children. He lives in Donegal, Ireland.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
March 19, 2012
This is sweet and sort of surreal all at the same time. I kept looking for some sort of symbolism, but I don't think it was meant to be read like that. And I kept wondering why the tiger is only ever seen when the full moon is shining bright. Well, it really doesn't matter. The point is the girl and the tiger enjoying their magical dances together in all seasons. And the moonlight adds a lovely glow to all of the really great illustrations. I love that the girl (now much older) was able to share the experience with her great granddaughter. The rhyming text is really nice and calls out for this one to be read aloud.
December 30, 2011
This book was all kinds of awesome.
My daughter, Gwennie, has been into tigers for about 3 or 4 months now. She'll sneak up on you and start gnawing on your leg. Then she looks up at you and says, "Imma scary TIGER! Imma eat you all up, all gone!"
I saw this cover at the library and thought, there's no way I'm passing this up.
The pictures are incredible. The story is moving.
I loved it.
My daughter, Gwennie, has been into tigers for about 3 or 4 months now. She'll sneak up on you and start gnawing on your leg. Then she looks up at you and says, "Imma scary TIGER! Imma eat you all up, all gone!"
I saw this cover at the library and thought, there's no way I'm passing this up.
The pictures are incredible. The story is moving.
I loved it.
June 15, 2019
Beautiful book. Read in reception. This book has amazing illistrations and the use of a tiger dancing really interests the children and makes them want to know more. When reading this book to the children at the end of the day it really helped at calming them down and focusing them.
December 31, 2015
What a beautiful and sweet book. The rhyming was lovely as were the illustrations. I think I'll have to work it into one of my pajama storytimes soon - not a bed time book exactly, but it has just the right rhythm and feel.
November 6, 2009
A K-2nd grade read, A little girl discovers a magnificent tiger wandering through the woods one night. In exchange for keeping his existence a secret, he promises to dance with her on every night that the moon is full. The promise is kept, and the two are pictured twirling though the seasons and apparently through the years, as the story concludes with an elderly woman introducing her great-granddaughter to the tiger. The story is told in rhyming couplets that flow smoothly and contain some evocative imagery. They are nicely matched by Johnson and Fancher's luminous oil paintings whose gently smudged outlines emphasize the dreamlike atmosphere.It should have won the Caldecott in my opinion. Excellent details.
June 23, 2019
Such a cute narrative poem about the friendship between a little girl and the dancing tiger in her back garden. It shows how powerful dance can be and that the fact the tiger couldn't have a conversation with her didn't matter because they bonded over dance. Then at the end when the little girl is old and grey and passes it on to her granddaughter, as a reader you feel satisfied and happy that the story isn't really over. You could use this book as a great starting point for some dance sessions, particularly with younger children as it isn't too complicated to understand or interpret.
February 15, 2016
This is one of my favorite books..... A little girl spies a tiger hiding in the woods. As she promises to keep his being a secret, he invites her to come out and dance with him on every full moon....
The words although few, simple and rhyming, evoke a rich picture of what it would be like to dance through the seasons with a kind laughing tiger.
The illustrations seem to have been rendered in pastel and the quality of the night invokes a sense of reality.
The words although few, simple and rhyming, evoke a rich picture of what it would be like to dance through the seasons with a kind laughing tiger.
The illustrations seem to have been rendered in pastel and the quality of the night invokes a sense of reality.
November 12, 2014
I picked this one up based on the title and cover. I could not resist the image of a tiger and little girl dancing under a starry sky. The lyrical paintings and inviting verse invite you to dance along through the seasons, but only when the moon shines bright. It's also an invitation to pass on treasured traditions from one generation to another.
August 15, 2008
A beautifully painted book with moonlight illuminating every picture, Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher bring such magic to this poetic text.
August 21, 2008
The illustrations in this book are beautiful.
September 2, 2010
Reading this book felt like drinking a spoonful of magic and being left breathless in awe.
September 5, 2010
Told in rhyme, this sweet and magical book would make a great read aloud for a parent and child. Wonderful story!
Read
December 17, 2010Nice pictures. Explores childhood and dancing and life. Picture book
February 7, 2013
Simply beautiful.
November 19, 2013
A beautiful story that deals with the passing of the seasons and time. So whimsical and mysterious!!
Read
September 13, 2016I loved the poetic movement of this story and the images match beautifully!
December 28, 2023
The eponymous tiger is quiet and gentle and while the world is 'dreaming still' he is dancing in the forest on his tiptoes. He is hardly seen, and when he is it is 'when the full moon's shining bright'.
He has a delightful personality but he is dreadfully shy and when spotted by a young girl on one occasion he whispers, 'Please don't mention that I'm here.' o that his wish would be upheld he tells the young girl that she can dance with him 'when the moon is whole' if she doesn't tell a single soul.
The deal is settled and the young girl has a thrilling time as she 'swirled and swayed among the trees', just as the tiger said they would. They enjoyed dancing through the seasons until the young girl got too old so she passed on her happy activity to her granddaughter and said, I'll sit and watch you dancing both, Beneath the starlit sky.'
It is a delightful poem and is beautifully illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher.
He has a delightful personality but he is dreadfully shy and when spotted by a young girl on one occasion he whispers, 'Please don't mention that I'm here.' o that his wish would be upheld he tells the young girl that she can dance with him 'when the moon is whole' if she doesn't tell a single soul.
The deal is settled and the young girl has a thrilling time as she 'swirled and swayed among the trees', just as the tiger said they would. They enjoyed dancing through the seasons until the young girl got too old so she passed on her happy activity to her granddaughter and said, I'll sit and watch you dancing both, Beneath the starlit sky.'
It is a delightful poem and is beautifully illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher.
July 19, 2017
An interesting book. Mostly full of make-believe magic. Through an adult's eyes it can feel a little creepy and I'm not sure I like the idea of the book suggesting/modeling the behavior of secretly meeting and dancing with a stranger in woods at night. That being said, if you avoid thinking of it that way it's a beautiful tale of a make believe friend.
February 15, 2023
Not a good story for today's world. A dangerous stranger in the woods convinces a little girl to keep his existence a secret. Yes, I completely admit that I am reading too much into it, but we read with the eye of now.
Read
November 16, 2020Lovely and whimsical.
September 16, 2022
This had nice illustrations but found the text lacking. A grandmother remembers her imaginary friend and introduces her granddaughter to him. That's all that happens really....
October 4, 2024
Always nice when a book has rhymes, and the art is nice too. But not enough fun with words and again just not enough commas.
August 12, 2016
I loved the art in this book, and especially got a kick out of the fact that the little girl on the cover looks like my daughter. Said daughter enjoyed the story fairly well. Do people do spoilers for picture books? Anyway,
August 19, 2011
I picked this up solely for the illustrations. The story is sweet, too.
I had an interesting discussion with my 15 year old, who thought it was sad. She viewed the grandma having gotten old as sad; whereas, I saw the grandma as having lived a full life and remembering to share a magical piece of her childhood with her granddaughter. Perspectives really change dramatically with age.
I wonder if the 5 year old will think it sad....
I had an interesting discussion with my 15 year old, who thought it was sad. She viewed the grandma having gotten old as sad; whereas, I saw the grandma as having lived a full life and remembering to share a magical piece of her childhood with her granddaughter. Perspectives really change dramatically with age.
I wonder if the 5 year old will think it sad....
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 27, 2015
This book reminded me of a story your grandmother would tell you that she did when she was a child, which is actually how the book ended up at the end. It almost seemed like a Native American myth that they would tell around a campfire to their children. Another thing that I thought was great about this book was that it rhymed and most kids love books that rhyme. Also, it went through the seasons, so if you were trying to teach kids their seasons, this would be a great book to use.
April 7, 2008
sweet story about girl dancing with a tiger at night in the woods.
Read
April 8, 2009grandmothers, tigers/wild animals, dancing, seasons
December 8, 2013
The imagination of a tiger dancing at full moons is wonderful and a girl who gets to join him because she will keep his secret.
November 2, 2007
a lovely picture book where the spaces between the words tell much of the tale.
April 25, 2008
Wonderful book...kids always ask for it over and over again
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews