Tiger has no stripes. Occasionally, he grows a new spot, but he doesn’t know why. At school, he makes new friends every day with his acts of kindness, but when Zebra makes fun of his spots, Tiger feels small.

For World Book Day, the librarian asks Tiger and his classmates to find the picture book that best represents them. Tiger decides to write his own, but his words only tell half the story. Zebra is fantastic at drawing. Could Tiger and Zebra overcome their differences to work together?

• Children often worry about fitting in; This story demonstrates self-acceptance and owning your difference to empower children to overcome their challenges
• Celebrates diversity in the classroom and among daily interactions
• Shows how to be confident in being yourself while practising empathy and showing kindness to others
• Provides a platform to discuss the important themes of relationships, self-representation, empathy and kindness

About the Author

Alice Bianchi-Clark has swapped the rainforest for big cities. She has lived and worked in Rome, London, Paris, Beijing and Hong Kong. She currently resides in Singapore with her supportive husband, big-hearted son and menagerie of parrot fish, terrapins and a kaleidoscope of butterflies. She even has a suitcase filled with stuffed animals she takes turns to snuggle with. As a child, she struggled to own her differences and wishes she had had the magnanimity to win over her bullies with kindness. 

About the Illustrator

Shruti Hemani is an architect and urban designer with a master’s degree from the University of Nottingham. She worked with a Manchester-based design co-operative before moving back to India and pursuing a PhD in Design from IIT, Guwahati. At present she lives in Jaipur, where she worked as a faculty member for a postgraduate programme in urban design and later as an independent design consultant and illustrator.

Tiger has no stripes. He worries why he occasionally grows spots until he chooses to be defined by his actions rather than his looks.