Agent Lion

by Jacky Davis, David Soman (Illustrator), David Soman

Overview

From the New York Times bestselling creators of Ladybug Girl, meet Agent Lion: a charmingly oblivious yet always-on-time detective!

MS. FLAMINGO’S CAT, FLUFFY, IS MISSING…and there’s only one detective who can crack the case!

Meet Agent Lion—he works at Super Detective Agents Agency, wears a tiny blue hat, and loves jelly doughnuts. But most importantly, he is determined to find Fluffy.

Agent Lion searches all over Mrs. Flamingo’s building—from Mr. Wombat’s apartment to the top of the roof—and the missing cat is nowhere to be found. Will Agent Lion ever crack the case?

In an upside-down mystery filled with laugh-out-loud moments, twists and turns, and more zany animals than one can count, David Soman and Jacky Davis have crafted the perfect picture book for curious minds who enjoy a good detective tale.

Agent Lion is sure not only to make readers giggle but to prove that anything is possible with a bit of determination and wit, and a few jelly doughnut breaks.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062869173
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	02/04/2020
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	263,153
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jacky Davis, along with her husband, David Soman, is the creator of the bestselling Ladybug Girl series as well as Agent Lion, a picture book about a silly but determined detective. The author lives with her family in New York’s Hudson Valley. You can visit her at blackpolka.com.

David Soman has illustrated many beautiful picture books, including The Impossible Mountain and the New York Times bestselling Ladybug Girl series, which he cocreated with his wife, Jacky Davis. He is an instructor at the School of Visual Arts in New York City and lives with his family in Upstate New York.

David Soman has illustrated many beautiful picture books, including The Impossible Mountain and the New York Times bestselling Ladybug Girl series, which he cocreated with his wife, Jacky Davis. He is an instructor at the School of Visual Arts in New York City and lives with his family in Upstate New York.

Editorial Reviews

09/30/2019

Dressed in a trench coat and fedora, Agent Lion has a cheery disposition and an ardent love for jelly doughnuts—but as a detective, he’s got some shortcomings. Husband-and-wife creators Soman and Davis (the Ladybug Girl series) channel the old Pink Panther films but with an all-animal cast. Clear panel artwork provides plenty of comic contradiction as Agent Lion heads over to Ms. Flamingo’s apartment building to talk to her about her missing cat, Fluffy. “He took the absolutely most direct route,” the text says, while a double-page aerial view tells another story: Agent Lion makes stops at Donut World, Popcorn Palace, and more before arriving two hours later. “Does Fluffy have a trunk?” he asks Ms. Flamingo helpfully, and goofy scenarios follow: “No one move!” Agent Lion says, pointing to a rooftop creature. “Agent Lion,” says an exasperated Ms. Flamingo, “That is a pigeon.” After further investigations, and almost in spite of himself, Agent Lion solves the case. As a bonus, a spread of Ms. Flamingo’s lobby features Easter eggs: an elephant cast as Christina in a version of the Wyeth painting, a monkey resembling Thompson’s Eloise, and plentiful other animal heroes just right for curious readers. Ages 4–8. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

"Plentiful animal heroes just right for curious readers." — Publishers Weekly

"Readers will enjoy watching this clueless detective get the 'mane' job done." — Kirkus Reviews

A delectable caper, reminiscent of a Marx Brothers romp for its speed and silliness. — Booklist

"This spin on the bumbling detective will delight readers. Agent Lion has personality to spare." — The Horn Book

From the Publisher

A delectable caper, reminiscent of a Marx Brothers romp for its speed and silliness.

Booklist

"This spin on the bumbling detective will delight readers. Agent Lion has personality to spare."

The Horn Book

A delectable caper, reminiscent of a Marx Brothers romp for its speed and silliness.

Booklist

2019-10-13
An inept lion detective searches for a missing cat.

After receiving his assignment from Ms. Chief (an elephant), Agent Lion takes two hours to reach the home of Fluffy's owner, Ms. Flamingo. (A map tracking his route from his office shows stops at fast-food joints and entertainment venues. Readers will note the more direct path he could have followed had distractions not beckoned.) Arriving on the scene, Agent Lion asks Ms. Flamingo ludicrous questions and posits absurd theories; checks for clues in unlikely places, including the refrigerator; and wreaks havoc when interviewing neighbors throughout her building. As the self-absorbed, doughnut-loving gumshoe continues his ridiculous investigation, Ms. Flamingo, patience gone, declares the unsolved case over. Still, she invites Agent Lion back to her apartment for tea. Dejectedly arranging the couch's pillows, Agent Lion finally—and unwittingly—locates Fluffy. All ends well as neighbors convene for a sweet celebration. This is a lightweight but humorous story; readers will chuckle at the silly questions Agent Lion asks and the witty, knowing comments he makes about cats. The ending, though predictable and unoriginal, satisfies. Lion is amusing; self-confident; and, as depicted in these delicate cartoon illustrations, very expressive, as are the other animal characters (including the beady-eyed pigeon Lion spies on a rooftop). Readers will also appreciate the endpapers' displays of mouthwatering doughnuts.

Readers will enjoy watching this clueless detective get the "mane" job done in spite of himself. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews