A Tiger Called Tomás

In the story A Tiger Called Tomás, the reader learns about self-confidence, especially among children. Tomás has recently moved into a new neighborhood and loses his self-confidence by thinking that none of his neighbors like him. This book is very educational because it gives an insight into a Hispanic home and their bilingual way of communicating. Tomás’s mother asks him why he won’t go play with the other kids, to which he always replies that he doesn’t think they would like him. His mother always replies back with “¿Por que no?” The time comes when it is Halloween; Tomás’s mother brings him a tiger costume with a mask that he can hide behind. Tomás is in for a surprise when he goes out trick-or-treating and sees his neighbors. I give this story a rating of four stars because it does a great job of showing how hesitant younger children can be around others, especially when you mix in bigger differences such as race and speech. I am proud of his neighbors for acting as maturely as they did.