A female tiger is told by the great god Shav to expect nine baby cubs a year as long as she remembers this promise. Bird's interest in self-preservation leads to tricking Tiger into only having one cub every nine years, which is why there are so few tigers on the earth today! The silkscreen, watercolor and colored pencil art created for this book was adapted from the story cloth stitchery techniques of Hmong women. (Ages 3-9)

A Hmong folktale about Tiger and the clever Bird who tricks her and restores nature's balance.

"Nine-in-one, Grr! Grr!" sings Tiger happily as she returns from the kingdom of the great god Shao. Shao has told her she will have nine baby tigers every year as long as she remembers his words: "Nine-in-one." Bird is worried about the prospect of a world full of tigers (tigers who would eat birds!) and sets out to trick Tiger into forgetting her all-important song. Before long, poor Tiger has her song backward-"One-in-nine, Grr! Grr!"-and the balance of nature is ensured.