Lion, Lion

by Miriam Busch, Larry Day (Illustrator)

Overview

For fans of Ezra Jack Keats, this perfect read-aloud is a timeless story featuring plenty of animals!

A little boy is looking for Lion. Lion is looking for lunch.

And so our story begins. But look closely. . . . In this tale, nothing is quite as it seems!

Children will delight in this classic picture book with a mischievous twist.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062271044
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	09/30/2014
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.20(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Miriam Busch earned her MFA in writing for children and young adults from Hamline University. She loves pie and elephants and trees and whales and stories of all sorts. You can visit her at www.miriambuschauthor.com.

Miriam and Larry Day also collaborated on the picture book Lion, Lion, which was named an Illinois Reads selection, an NPR Best selection, an Indie Next Best selection, a Junior Library Guild selection, and a Bank Street College Best Book of the Year. They live in the Midwest.

Larry Day is the illustrator of over twenty picture books, a painter of fine art, and a storyboard artist/art director for advertising agencies. He is the recipient of many state awards for his books, as well as three gold medals from the Society of Illustrators. Larry also won the Golden Kite Award for best illustrated picture book (Not Afraid of Dogs). Find him online at www.larrydayillustration.com.

Larry and Miriam Busch collaborated on the picture book Lion, Lion, which was named an Illinois Reads selection, an NPR Best selection, an Indie Next Best selection, a Junior Library Guild selection, and a Bank Street College Best Book of the Year. They live in the Midwest.

Editorial Reviews

Beautiful pencil and watercolor illustrations give this book an old-fashioned feel…the story will keep readers on the edge of their seat. With a trick up his sleeve, our brave hero outwits a…hungry lion. With sophisticated humor and an ingenious twist, this story begs to be read and reread.” — Erin Barker, Hooray for Books!, Alexandria, VA for the Autumn 2014 Indie Next Picks

“Sly, dark humor for little ones—at its best.” — Kirkus Reviews

“With plenty of chuckle-worthy illustrations and a simple but enjoyable story, this should work well in storytimes or for one-on-one reading.” — School Library Journal

“Amusing…[with] a Sendakian flair...An excellent way to introduce younger listeners to the deliberate subversion of expectations.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“A killer combination of twisty wordplay, kid-perfect watercolors and characters that demand funny voices, Lion, Lion is a read aloud sure to leave your audience delighted and you just a little hoarse.” — NPR

“Beautiful pencil and watercolor illustrations give this book an old-fashioned feel, and the story will keep readers on the edge of their seat. . . . With sophisticated humor and an ingenious twist, this story begs to be read and reread.” — Erin Barker, Hooray for Books!, Alexandria, VA for an Indie Next Pick

From the Publisher

A killer combination of twisty wordplay, kid-perfect watercolors and characters that demand funny voices, Lion, Lion is a read aloud sure to leave your audience delighted and you just a little hoarse.

NPR

Amusing…[with] a Sendakian flair...An excellent way to introduce younger listeners to the deliberate subversion of expectations.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Beautiful pencil and watercolor illustrations give this book an old-fashioned feel…the story will keep readers on the edge of their seat. With a trick up his sleeve, our brave hero outwits a…hungry lion. With sophisticated humor and an ingenious twist, this story begs to be read and reread.

Erin Barker

Amusing…[with] a Sendakian flair...An excellent way to introduce younger listeners to the deliberate subversion of expectations.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

08/01/2014
PreS-K—A boy is looking for Lion (later revealed to be his pet cat, named Lion) and runs into an actual big cat that is hungry for lunch. The boy suggests several options from grass to berries, but each plant has a different animal on or around it, so Lion rejects it for various reasons. Flowers bother him because feathers from feeding birds make him sneeze; berries are "too stinky" (two skunks are enjoying them). This gives the boy an idea, and he heads into the lion's jaws with a bird to rescue his cat. Careful readers may guess what the boy is looking for, but the detailed pictures and simple story will entertain even those who aren't surprised by the twist ending. With plenty of chuckle-worthy illustrations and a simple but enjoyable story, this should work well in storytimes or for one-on-one reading.—Laura Stanfield, Campbell County Public Library, Ft. Thomas, KY

School Library Journal

2014-06-30
Readers must pay careful attention to both the words and the pictures in this quirky, humorous book about a boy who is shouting out, "Lion!" and a lion who is hungry.The benign expression of the enormous, cartoonish lion on the cover and the fearless stance on the smiling boy, who looks to be African-American, standing nearby are excellent clues to young readers that this will be a humorous tale, with a relatively harmless carnivore. Even so, the lion looks quite menacing on the title page and on the first double-page spread, as he emerges from behind a building to see the boy shouting, "Lion!" Readers are meant to feel befuddled when the lion asks the boy, "What are you doing?" and the boy says, "Trying to find Lion." The underlying feeling of unease continues when the lion leans in, eyes intent, and tells the boy "I'm looking for lunch." Readers will be confused, and then delighted, as they observe why the lion, offered some luncheon choices, thinks that grass is too snappy, mushrooms too prickly and berries too stinky. The grand joke comes at the end, when the clever boy forces the lion to sneeze, and there is another play on the same theme on the very last page.Sly, dark humor for little ones—at its best. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews