Ed Vere

Leonard is a gentle lion who likes to daydream and make up poems. Instead of chomping a duck, he makes friends with her. But Leonard and Marianne's friendship angers the other lions. What will Leonard do? Make up a poem, of course, with Marianne's help:

"I'll say this quietly,
I needn't roar to be heard,
I can be a friend
to a bee or a bird.
You said I must change, I must chomp Marianne,
but chomping your friends is a terrible plan.
Let nobody say
just ONE way is true.
There are so many ways
that you show more can be you.
If there MUST be a must, then this we must try...
Why don't you, be YOU,
And I, will be I."

Toxic masculinity, begone!

*

Re-read (at a friend's house) March 2020; had forgotten it almost entirely, and enjoyed it all over again. show less

Determined to be heroic, rather than sweet, Max the kitten goes in search of a mouse to hunt, since hunting mice is what brave cats do. Not sure just what a mouse looks like, Max interrogates a number of creatures, asking each one whether they are a mouse. When he finally does meet a mouse, that enterprising little creature assures him that he is a monster, and that the mouse Max is looking for is actually the sleeping monster nearby...

An amusing tale of a kitten's search for the correct way show more to be (as well as a clever mouse's misdirection) Max the Brave will appeal to young children who will enjoy being "in the know,' when it comes to the titular feline hero's attempts to discover just what a mouse looks like. The illustrations, which look like they might be some sort of wood or block print (not sure about the medium - I really wish publishers always provided that information on the colophon!), is colorful and appealing, reminding me a bit of Chris Haughton and Zachariah Ohora's work. Recommended to younger children who love cats, or to anyone looking for humorous picture-books with a super-hero and/or feline theme. show less

Here is one of my inconsistencies: I am willing to accept athropomorphized critters writing poetry and talking and so forth, I'm good. But, when authors write about lions as hunters, and then only illustrate with male lions, I am sorely vexed. It's not that I'm in favor of heavily gendered roles: my specific exception is to using the male as default, even when the male doesn't exhibit the behaviors one has selected the animal character for in the first place. I'm sorry Mr. Vere, in some ways show more I like your book, but the particular masculine stereotype that your whole book is built on doesn't apply to the species you selected. There aren't usually a lot of grown males lions in a pride, mostly the boys leave around age 3. And "hanging about" is the thing: the males don't do the hunting for the pride, and lion society is matriarchal, so if anyone was trying to enforce behavior, it would be the Queen.



I don't mind the fanciful, but I balk at the wrong. One way to discourage rigid sex roles is to actually teach children the vast array of behaviors to be found across species. I'm not saying picture book creators have to be zoologists, but a cursory read of Wikipedia would clear up some of this sort of thing.



Library copy show less

What a cute way to share this important message. Grumpy Frog knows what he likes and is not really willing to change. When he finds himself all alone, he needs to think about the reasons he has no one to play with. This story is about tolerance, not always getting our own way and learning about give and take. You can even stretch it to acceptance of differences in race and culture. Grumpy Frog learns that if he wants to have friends he needs to make some changes and co-operate with others. show more The illustrations are cartoons done by Ed Vere. Wonderful. A great book for primary and even junior students. A good addition to school and class libraries. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley. show less