老虎來到我的家，它大搖大擺地走進來，坐下來與媽媽和我喝下午茶。
老虎來到我的家，它吃光了家里的所有食物，還喝光了家里的水。
老虎離開我的家，它像紳士一樣和我們說“謝謝”、“再見”。
老虎離開我的家，它就再沒有出現過。
是靈光乍現的一剎那，還是苦思冥想了許多時間，作家朱迪絲·克爾(Judith Kerr)寫出了這個美妙的故事？兒童文學作品中有為數不多的神來之作，《老虎來喝下午茶》就是這樣的作品。
這個故事符合幼兒關于周圍世界的感知和想象。“老虎要吃人”，那是大人的想法，在孩子那里，老虎就是一只大貓，它笑容可掬，彬彬有禮，多才多藝（看到最后一頁吹小號的老虎了嗎）。所以，老虎不會影響安全，反而提供安全感，你看看圖畫中的小女孩，看著老虎吃光了冰箱里的食品，撫摩老虎的尾巴，最后干脆坐在了老虎背上。我和四歲女兒讀完這個故事后，我問她：“老虎如果來我們家，你害怕嗎？”她回答：“不怕，我會把所有東西都給它吃。”
這個故事處理矛盾的方式符合幼兒的心理需求。老虎吃光了家里的食物，喝光了家里的水，怎么辦呢？爸爸回來了，出的好主意是，“我們全家到外面餐館去吃”。和爸爸媽媽一起上街，一起在外面吃東西，這是幼兒們都喜歡做的事情。爸爸沒有責怪老虎，反而買了很多虎糧，期望老虎下次再來。再往深里想，老虎其實就是白天不在家的“爸爸”，它陪伴了我們。看看索菲一家三口在黑夜里行走的圖畫吧，連月亮也變成了暖色調的黃。

“A modern classic”
—The Independent

An unexpected guest arrives at Sophie's house and eats more than his fair share in The Tiger Who Came to Tea (1968) by Judith Kerr, conveyed in charming scenes that reflect 1960s sensibilities; and the language is deliciously British ("They had a lovely supper with sausages and chips and ice cream").
—Publishers Weekly

"Judith Kerr's superb story... Near perfection of form is embellished by clear, expressive illustrations. The pace is exactly right, the resolution totally satisfying."
—Dorothy Butler: Babies Need Books.

This book has enduring charm and young children will delight in the preposterous notion of a tiger creating mayhem in the house.
—Junior Magazine

"Our favourite! My 2 year old daughter wants this book read to her nearly every day! It is a pleasure to read, it's down to earth, children can really relate to such a strange event (a tiger coming to tea) as it happens among everyday life. She especially likes to read the parts aloud herself that say "then Daddy came home", and "lets go to the café". A real warm, fun, traditional and basically "nice" book that families will love to share. Classic."
—Waterstone customer