Library Lion
This one almost made it to the favorites list. It’s a great book. The lion I would assume is the author’s little one who most likely has a big, loud, yet loving and caring personality that reminds the author of a lion.
The story is great. You’d think the lion in the library would be scary, but the lion is one of the least scary things in the story. There is a healthy sense of caution in the characters at first in responding to a lion in the library, but that lion never threatens or scares anyone, the lion is happy, helpful and enthralled by story time. And the lion is most of all caring. The librarian at one point in the story falls and lays on the floor for a while, which is the only reason this one didn’t make it to the favorites list, the scene scared my little one, but the lion does all it can to help the librarian, despite the lion knows it’ll get in trouble and no longer get to go to story time. It’s a great teaching moment of kindness and putting yourself and your own desires second to someone else you care about. It’s a great moment demonstrating how friendship works. After the librarian gets hurt and the lion breaks the rules, there’s another great teaching moment about friendship, as everyone that started cautious, now misses lion dearly.
The illustrations are great too. The writing and some of the borders make the book look older. The colors are soft, and the drawings are decently realistic. They’re done in a way that communicates emotion well. All techniques we appreciate.
Cautions: The librarian falls and hurts herself and lays on the floor for a while, which was a scene that truly scared my little one. It’s a good teaching moment for reader and little one, but it’s also a moment that you have to find an appropriate age to read through it.
