Party Animals (Tig and Lily Book 2)

July 15, 2023
Tig the cat wants to host a party; Lily the tiger has other ideas. Tig, who in an earlier series installment moved into Lily's enclosure at the zoo, is bored, while Lily enjoys the serenity of doing nothing. Tig decides to throw a party against Lily's wishes, and they squabble over whether tigers are social creatures--Tig, who believes himself to be a tiger, emphatically declares that he dislikes being alone, but Lily prefers solitude. Dubbing Lily a party pooper, Tig pressures her into agreeing to the festivities and inviting animals from nearby enclosures to join. Lily attempts to overcome shyness by rehearsing what she'll say to the prospective guests, but the frightened elephants and monkeys flee as soon as she approaches them. Tig is much more sympathetic to Lily after hearing what happened and stands up to the animals who rejected his friend. A bonus food-fight scene caps the story after some healing apologies and partying. Much of Tig and Lily's dialogue takes place against single-color backgrounds within quarter- and half-page panels. The simple framing and layouts consistently place whomever is speaking front and center, which makes the whole narrative easy to follow. Tig comes off as rather pushy in the first half but eventually demonstrates the sort of love and loyalty that makes the titular felines an unbreakable duo. Party animals and poopers alike will appreciate themes of social anxiety and acceptance. (Graphic fiction. 5-8)

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