Joy Cowley & David Barrow

My Tiger

My Tiger

A boy’s pet tiger is apprehensive about his first trip to the dentist—but the twist ending of this funny picture book turns the dentist’s advice satisfyingly on its head (and that’s the end of the dentist).

My tiger loved cake, and I went with him to the cake shop. Then he got
a bad tooth, so I went with him to the dentist. My tiger didn’t like sitting
in the waiting room, climbing onto the dentist chair, or being told by the
dentist what to eat. Especially when she said no more cake! What’s a
tiger supposed to eat?

A bossy adult is made to look silly and a charming tiger wins the
reader’s heart in this subversively funny story about a love of cake and
the pull of natural tiger instincts.

Gecko Press

Picture Book

Original title: My Tiger
Age 4+
32 pp
hc | 276 x 225 mm
Publication: Spring 2026


Author: Joy Cowley
Illustrator: David Barrow

Rights sold: Dutch
All other rights available, excl. Simplified Chinese & Turkish

Awards

“This delightful story features a young boy and his pet tiger, who loves nothing more than eating cake. When the tiger develops a toothache and must visit the dentist, readers are treated to a hilarious twist at the end. The book is beautifully illustrated from start to finish and is truly a wonderful read.”— The Bookseller’s Circle, 11 March 2026

“A deeply amusing, wonderfully subversive look at defying expectations and watching what you eat.”—starred, Kirkus Reviews, 17 November 2025

By the same author

By the same illustrator