Happy Book Release Day to
Mr. Tiger Goes Wild
by Peter Brown!
Today I'm so excited to be celebrating the release of Peter Brown's book, Mr. Tiger Goes Wild! When I was wandering the exhibit hall at ALA in June, Colby Sharp pointed it out to me. I read it there in the booth, laughing out loud a few times. I fell in love with this book right then and there. Later I took Alyson Beecher over to see the book and to watch her reaction as she read it and giggled and then stood in line with Jen Reed to meet Peter and get a signed copy of the book. As soon as I was home from ALA, I shared it with my family and they thought it was so fun, too. My kids happen to be excellent when it comes to roaring so this book had them roaring right along with Mr. Tiger.
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| Jen and Peter Brown with Mr. Tiger Goes Wild at ALA |
I shared my review of Mr. Tiger Goes Wild about a month ago. I had so much to say because I absolutely love this book! Today I'm sharing a story about a time in my life when I did something different like Mr. Tiger. It's perfect that today is Tuesday because I still get to share a little Slice of Life!
Almost three years ago, I decided I would go from being a vegetarian (which I had been for six months) to trying to be vegan. I say trying to be vegan because I wasn't sure I could actually do it! Giving up meat wasn't so bad...but cheese and ice cream? That seemed like it was going to be tricky. I gave myself the option to do my best but if it was impossible to find food to eat while I was out with family or friends, then it would be okay to eat something non-vegan. It turned out that it actually wasn't that hard to find things to eat at home or while eating out and if the only thing a restaurant had was steamed veggies and salad, I was okay with that. I like veggies. (It would be really hard to be vegan and not like veggies.)
In Mr. Tiger Goes Wild, the other characters in the book respond to Mr. Tiger and his acts of wildness with varying degrees of judgment. Some are shocked, some are trying to understand what he's doing, others are mad or amused. Whenever I talk to people about being vegan, I seem to get a similar range of responses. Some people think it's so interesting and have lots of questions, curious about what I eat and how I get enough protein or if I ever miss meat or cheese or eggs. A few people have gotten really defensive, telling me I'm only one person and I can't change the world, or animals are meant to be eaten or that even if they had their whole life to live over again, they would always eat animals. And then there are people who act like it's no big deal.
Being vegan definitely meant an adjustment for not only me but my husband and kids, my extended family and my friends. I'm super lucky to have a great support system. Just over the weekend, I was at a party with friends who asked me before about what they could have for me to eat and made veggie burgers for me. One thing most people want to know is if my husband or kids are also vegan. They aren't, they are definitely omnivores but my husband is more conscious of the foods he eats and tries to buy grass-fed beef or local meats. I shop mainly at Trader Joe's and buy organic food.
My attitude about being vegan is that it's a choice that I made for myself. I believe it is showing compassion to animals, it's a healthy decision for me and my body and it's also helping reduce the impact I have on the environment. All three of these things influenced my decision to become vegan. It's a choice that I made for myself though, I'm happy to share my story and talk about what I eat how I feel, but ultimately, I believe everyone is allowed to make his or her own decisions about what he or she eats. I prefer that people don't judge me and in turn, I don't judge others. Do I love when people want to try one of my vegan recipes or tell me that they try to do Meatless Mondays? Of course! I am happy to support others who want to flirt with being vegan or go vegan themselves but in the end, it's entirely up to them.
I love Mr. Tiger's story because he truly follows his dreams. It isn't easy to let out his inner roar, but he does. He has to deal with what others think when he goes wild, but in the end it's okay. He even influences some of them. Doing something different can be scary, but at the same time, if we never do something scary, we never stretch ourselves, we never grow, and I doubt we can make an impact.
One my strategies for being vegan at parties, is to always bring my own dish to share. I have a few recipes that I love to share with others and then I know I always have at least one thing to eat just in case! Here is a great fruit salad recipe that's super easy, super colorful, and super tasty!
Jen's Go Wild Vegan Fruit Salad
Ingredients:
-2 small bags frozen sliced peaches OR mango chunks
-2 pints fresh raspberries
-1 pound green grapes
-1 cup organic raw blue agave
Directions:
Grab a large bowl, toss the frozen peaches or mangoes in the bowl. Clean raspberries and add to bowl. Clean grapes, slice in half (or leave whole if you don't have much time!) and add to bowl. Pour agave over fruit and stir. Wait a few hours for fruit to thaw, stir again, and enjoy! I usually mix this up before heading out to a party and then by the time we get there and it sits out for a while, it's ready to go. I also eye how much fruit I have and will add more or less depending on if I feel like it's uneven. You can also wait and add the agave after the fruit has thawed and probably use less than one cup. I buy my ingredients at Trader Joe's but you should be able to find everything at your local grocery store.
And finally, to celebrate the release of Peter Brown's Mr. Tiger Goes Wild, we have a blog tour scavenger hunt for you! Visit all the blogs listed below to collect 7 letters/characters. Unscramble the letters/characters to unlock the secret phrase. Each blog is giving away three copies of Mr. Tiger Goes Wild courtesy of Little, Brown Books and I have a Mr. Tiger Goes Wild prize pack to give away!
Jen at Teach Mentor Texts
Aly at Kid Lit Frenzy
Franki at A Year of Reading
Jen at Reederama
Katherine at Read, Write, Reflect
Laura at LibLaura5
Colby at SharpRead
To learn more about Peter or Mr. Tiger Goes Wild:
Little, Brown Books - Mr. Tiger webpage
Fill out the form below to be entered into the prize pack giveaway. Three lucky winners will receive a Mr. Tiger Goes Wild prize pack including a copy of Mr. Tiger GoesWild, a Mr. Tiger Goes Wild poster, and Mr. Tiger Goes wild temporary tattoos. A big thank you to Peter for providing all of the artwork for our scavenger hunt and Little, Brown Books for providing all of the books and prize packs for us to giveaway.
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