The Rat and the Tiger - Hardcover

Keiko Kasza was born on a small Japanese island in the Inland Sea of Japan. She grew up in a typical Japanese extended family with her parents, two brothers, and grandparents. Uncles, aunts, and cousins also lived nearby. "All the steps I took growing up were very normal," Ms. Kasza says. "The only unusual thing I did was go to college in the United States." She graduated with a degree in graphic design from California State University at Northridge. Ms. Kasza married an American, and the United States has been her home ever since.

After publishing five children's books in Japan and working as a graphic designer for fourteen years, Ms. Kasza decided in 1988 to devote her time to picture books. She says, "Having two small boys and two professions was too much to handle."

Ms. Kasza admires many great picture-book creators, such as Leo Lionni and Maurice Sendak, but says that the work of Arnold Lobel has influenced her the most. The subtle humor and warmth he created in his books continues to inspire me," she says. "I often go back to his work when I get discouraged or lose confidence."

Ms. Kasza compares the process of making a book to acting on stage under the lights:
"I become the character that I'm working on at that moment. I pretend that I'm a bird looking for a mother, or a pig trying to impress his girlfriend. When I'm acting, I'm a child myself."

Ms. Kasza's ambition is not to create a hundred books, but to "create one really good book that will be kept on the family bookshelves for generations, although a hundred really good books would be even better, of course!"

Keiko Kasza lives in Indiana with her husband and two sons.

copyright © 2000 by Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. All rights reserved.

"I'm a rat, just a tiny little rat," says the diminutive narrator of this piquant tale about friendship. Towering above him is his best buddy, Tiger, "a big tough fellow." Rat explains that the two "used to have a little problem." Whenever they played cowboys, Rat always had to be the bad guy. And whenever they shared a doughnut, he was left with a small piece while his buddy received the Tiger's share. But one day the big bully goes too far. When he kicks over the elaborate block castle Rat painstakingly built, the latter declares that Tiger is no longer his friend. And the stubborn little fellow makes sure that his companion has truly mended his selfish ways before he declares them pals once again. As in her past books, Kasza ( The Pigs' Picnic ; A Mother for Choco ) here delivers a valuable lesson cunningly and effectively. With their drolly expressive faces, Tiger and Rat pass on the importance of sharing, playing fairly and treating others as you'd like to be treated. As a bonus, Kasza adds a characteristically clever tangle at story's end. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.