Book of the Week: If I Were a Lion
From the time-out chair comes the innocent-seeming question “Wild? Who me?” The little girl proclaims her sweetness in comparison to the truly wild—bears, wolves, lions, etc. Those are the animals that can truly cause the damage of which she has been accused. Kids will no doubt relate to the situation and appreciate the wild imagination of the little girl.
But it’s the illustrations that really make this book stand out. Solomon’s mixed media illustrations convey the mischievous gleam in the little girl’s eyes as she makes her case, comparing her actions to the fierce and ferocious creatures she conjures up in her imagination. Of course, throughout the book, we can see the crayon drawings on the wall that appear in the corner near the time-out chair. Observant kids will have much to pore over in these not-quite-realistic scenes.
The rhyming verse and surreal depictions of animals make this a winner to share with groups of young children.
