Growing up I always had pets, whether it was dogs, cats, or even a steer named Pest. Of course, having pets also meant sometimes saying goodbye to those pets because eventually, time runs out for every living thing. I especially remember the time when my dog, Blue, went missing, and I spent hours looking for him, only to find that he had wandered off to die. It was incredibly heartbreaking, especially as a young teen, to find my dog that way.
The Day Tiger Rose Said Goodbye, by Jane Yolen, brought back those memories. The story is about a cat who is preparing to die and eventually does end up dying and going off to “Cat Heaven.” The story is in poem form with wonderful illustrations by Jim LaMarche. Tiger Rose wanders around to everyone and everything she holds dear to say one last goodbye. Whether it’s the family who loves her, including a boy and girl, or a dog named Rowf or even the chipmunks she didn’t used to be so friendly to, Tiger Rose takes everything in, appreciating every last second. She even takes time to appreciate her beautiful surroundings.
Finally, Tiger Rose finds a place in the rosebushes and closing her eyes, she lets go of life. The book takes the stance that Tiger Rose goes to Heaven, and honestly, I believe that our pets do go to Heaven….that’s just always the way I’ve felt. God had the animals in the Garden of Eden, back when everything was perfect, and He gave man the responsibility of caring for those animals. I can’t imagine a Heaven without those animals, without our loving companions.
While this book was indeed a very sad book, it’s also a book that helps children to understand that eventually, pets do leave this earth; it’s something that any pet owner will eventually have to face, but Jane Yolen puts a painful reality in a rather peaceful story form to help children try to understand. The story also really takes an appreciative look at life and the beauty that life has to offer, not just the sadness of death.
You can purchase The Day Tiger Rose Said Goodbye for $11.55 on Amazon; it’s also available at Barnes & Noble and other places online. This book is geared toward ages 4-8.
(Disclosure: I received a copy of this book, free of charge, from Raab Associates, Inc., for the purposes of this review. All views/opinions are my own.)
