Heart of a Tiger
Illustrator: Jamichael Henterly
Dial Books for Young Readers 1995
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The Story Behind the Story
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How do you go from a name like "Little Four" to the name "Bangali Sher Ka Dil"? You'll find out when you read this book.
I love to travel. Maybe that's one reason I chose India for the setting of Heart of a Tiger. I've never been to India, although I hope to travel there some day. In a way though, I did travel to India while writing this story—through books. I did a lot of research about the geography, the weather, the plants, and the animals of India.
I wanted
to use Hindi names for the names the kittens chose for
themselves, but unfortunately, I don't speak Hindi! So
I found Dr. Laxmi G. Tewari at Sonoma State University.
He did speak Hindi and he had lived in India. He graciously
translated the animal names into Hindi, and he was most
patient in helping me make a pronunciation guide for the
Hindi words.
I believe that through my character Little
Four (later to become Bangali Sher Ka Dil) I was trying
to teach myself about the value of having a dream and
of having the courage to take action to make that dream
come true.
