Free It's a Tiger! by David LaRochelle

Are you ready for a story?
Me too.
    We’ll start in the jungle
where the tall trees grow
and the monkeys swing
from vine to vine.

    Wait a minute.
That’s not a monkey.
That looks like…
     

A TIGER! Run!
     

    Push aside these vines
and we’ll hide inside this cave.
    Duck your head
(Flap! Flap! Flap!)

and watch out for bats!
     

    I don’t know about you,
but those shadows are making me nervous.
    In fact, one of those shadows looks like…
     

A TIGER!
    How did he get here?
Hurry! Climb that ladder
and we’ll make our escape.
     

    Ah, sunshine! Doesn’t that feel good?
    Uh-oh.
Snakes.
Hundreds of them!
    If we’re very quiet (shhh!)
    we can tiptoe past.
    Blue snakes.
Green snakes.
Even a great big fuzzy snake that
looks just like…
     

A TIGER! Run!
     

    Yikes! He’s gaining on us!
Our only chance is to leap for that rope…
    …and swing across this canyon.
Now LET GO!
    WHOMP!
We made it!
Good think we landed someplace soft.
A bed of flowers?
A pile of leaves?
A giant orange-and-black pillow?
No, we landed on top of…
     

A TIGER!
    Now we’re REALLY in trouble!

    Quick!
Climb this rock and slide down the hill.
Bumpity-bumpity-bump-bump-bump!
     

    YES! A boat!
Hop on deck and raise the anchor.
Full steam ahead, Captain!
    Safe at last.
    Say, I’ve never seen a sea captain
with a tail before, have you?
You don’t think it could be…
     

A TIGER! Not AGAIN!
     

    Jump overboard or we’ll end up as lunch!
    Swim! Swim!
Splash! Splash! Splash!
I know you’re tired, but DON’T SLOW DOWN!
    We’re in luck!
There’s an island…
     

    …and a chest!
    Open the lid—I bet we’ll find…
     

A TIGER!
    AND HE WANTS TO EAT US! ROAR!
     

    Wait a minute.
He doesn’t want to eat us.
He was only yawning.
If we scratch his ears and rub his belly,
maybe he’ll go to sleep.
    Better yet, let’s tell him a story.
     

    We’ll start in the jungle
where the tall trees grow
and the monkeys swing
from vine to vine.
     

    Wait a minute.
That’s not a monkey.
    That looks like…
     

A CROCODILE!

Text © 2012 by David LaRochelle
    Illustrations © 2012 by Jeremy Tankard
    All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.
    ISBN 978-1-4521-2185-7 (eBook)
    The Library of Congress has previously cataloged this title under ISBN 978-0-8118-6925-6
    Book and jacket design by Jennifer Tolo Pierce.
    The illustrations in this book were rendered in ink and digital media.
    Jacket illustrations © 2012 by Jeremy Tankard.
    Chronicle Books LLC
680 Second Street,
San Francisco, California 94107
    www.chroniclekids.com