A Hungry Lion, or A Dwindling Assortment of Animals

by Lucy Ruth Cummins, Lucy Ruth Cummins (Illustrator)

Overview

“So smart and so cute and so dark all at the same time. Sheesh.” —Caldecott medal and honor winner, Jon Klassen.

Once upon a time there was a hungry lion and a bunch of adorable animals…what do you think happened next?

There once was a hungry lion, a penguin (Well he was just here…), a little calico kitten (I could have sworn I just saw him…), a brown mouse (Now wait a second…), a bunny with floppy ears and a bunny with un-floppy ears (Okay this is just getting ridiculous), a frog, a bat, a pig, a slightly bigger pig, a wooly sheep, a koala, a hen, and also a turtle. Hey! What’s going on here…

The very hungry lion is all set to enjoy an exciting day with his other animal pals. But all of a sudden his friends start disappearing at an alarming rate! Is someone stealing the hungry lion’s friends, or is the culprit a little…closer to home?

With sharp wit, adorable illustrations, and hysterical twists galore, this debut picture book asks—what do you think happened to the hungry lion’s friends?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781481448895
Publisher:	Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	03/15/2016
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	661,309
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	AD720L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Lucy Ruth Cummins is an author, illustrator, and art director of children’s books. She was happily paired with Jean Reidy for both Truman, which was named a New York Times Best Children’s Book of 2019, and Sylvie. She is also the author-illustrator of Stumpkin, Vampenguin, Dalmartian: A Mars Rover’s Story, Our Pool, and A Hungry Lion, or A Dwindling Assortment of Animals. Lucy has swum in creeks, streams, gorges, rivers, swimming holes, pools (above- and in-ground), lakes (both Great and Finger), decorative fountains, and oceans. Her very favorite place to swim, however, is at her community pool in Brooklyn with her sons and her neighbors.

Lucy Ruth Cummins is an author, illustrator, and art director of children’s books. She was happily paired with Jean Reidy for both Truman, which was named a New York Times Best Children’s Book of 2019, and Sylvie. She is also the author-illustrator of Stumpkin, Vampenguin, Dalmartian: A Mars Rover’s Story, Our Pool, and A Hungry Lion, or A Dwindling Assortment of Animals. Lucy has swum in creeks, streams, gorges, rivers, swimming holes, pools (above- and in-ground), lakes (both Great and Finger), decorative fountains, and oceans. Her very favorite place to swim, however, is at her community pool in Brooklyn with her sons and her neighbors.

Editorial Reviews

★ 12/14/2015
It’s all very peaceable kingdom at the beginning of this ostensibly placid story. The ingenuous narrator introduces a self-possessed lion (marvelously drawn in rough pencil, charcoal, and a vigorous application of markers) and 13 cute animals, including “a pig, a slightly bigger pig, a woolly sheep, a koala, and also a hen.” Though described as “hungry,” the lion does not seem particularly threatening, but as the animals start euphemistically “dwindling,” questions arise. Still, the narrator soldiers on, struggling to keep up as Cummins, an S&S art director making her debut as author-artist, keeps readers guessing—it’s fitting that a book with as many “Once upon a time” beginnings as this one has more then one potential ending, some happier than others. Cummins’s dizzy meta-tale has just enough wink and cheek to assure readers that it’s all in good fun, and her visual style—sketchbook playful, slyly spiking sweet-seeming scenes with moments of menace and fear—should leave them hungering (in a nice way) for her next book. Ages 4–8. Agent: Emily Van Beek, Folio Literary Management. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"Hilariously dark...When this devilish book ends, there will, indeed, be only one animal left standing."

February 2016 - Booklist

"understated, sly delight... similar to Klassen’s books, but has a daffy and dry style all its own."

March 19, 2016 - The Boston Globe

"Hilariously dark...When this devilish book ends, there will, indeed, be only one animal left standing."

February 2016 - Booklist

03/01/2016
K-Gr 3—With its macabre humor and delightfully scribbly illustrations, this tale is sure to delight a wide audience of children. Using a metafiction style, the author starts the book with "Once upon a time, there was a hungry lion, a penguin, a turtle, a brown mouse, those two rabbits, etc.," but must stop and repeatedly revise the list as the bevy of animals slowly dwindle to one smugly grinning lion and "that turtle." With several surprises, and some truly extraordinary full-page illustrations, this story winds itself to a laugh-out-loud ending that will tickle the unconventional funny bone. VERDICT Highly recommended for any library, sure to be a favorite read-aloud.—Jasmine L. Precopio, Fox Chapel Area School District, Pittsburgh, PA

School Library Journal

"So smart and so cute and so dark all at the same time. Sheesh.

Caldecott medal and honor winner

★ 2015-12-08
A hungry lion finds something to eat, with the help of several smaller animals. A red-maned lion poses regally with a bat, penguin, turtle, mouse, hen, frog, koala, sheep, kitten, two pigs, and two rabbits. All smile, a bit blankly. As for the lion himself, he looks calm and possibly hungry, or maybe that is just a look of sly anticipation. On the page turn, something is different. The story begins again, with the same words as at first ("Once upon a time there was a hungry lion…"), though with fewer animals. Turn the page, and "Wait a second." Here is the hungry lion again but only four animals. Where could the others have gone? Cummins' perfect conversation starter gets even better with multiple readings. Rich language and a playful use of typeface complement the simply outlined, goofily appealing (but not sentimental), softly colored creatures. A young listener may have an answer for the disappearance of those animals. Wonderfully, and darkly hilariously, that answer will be correct in just a few pages—but not right away. Multiple surprises, including a dance party, cake ("four-tiered…with buttercream frosting"), and a new "really ravenous" guest combine to leave only the turtle with something to eat. Silly and witty: serve to slightly older children who are ready for a good dose of subversively hearty laughter. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews