The Lion Inside

I'm not generally a fan of rhyming books, or picture books with a moral, but this one just kind of grabbed me.

A little mouse is tired of being scared and small. So, he decides to risk it all and ask the lion to teach him to roar! The lion is the king of beasts and also quite likely to eat the small mouse! Nevertheless, he perseveres, only to discover, after a difficult journey, that the lion is scared of...him? The two become close friends and realize they are better together than apart.

The plot, taken down to its bare bones, is not particularly unique or surprising but the presentation is delightful. The silly rhymes bounce along, rather like a Dr. Seuss book.

The illustrations, however, are what really caught my eye. Bright, creator of show more the Love Monster series, connects with a new illustrator, Jim Field, who branches out into a brilliant palette of golds and browns and a classic style that will remind readers of Gus Tenggren and other Little Golden Books artists. The giant-eared mouse, solemn lion, and all the other animals are set against a background that seems to pulsate with heat and color.

Verdict: A fun addition to storytimes; I look forward to seeing more from this artist/author duo.

ISBN: 9780545873505; Published 2016 by Scholastic; Borrowed from another library in my consortium show less

The illustrations are much more appealing than the thumbnail of the cover implies. The rhyme and theme are easy & fun. Nothing subtle or really original about the book, though.

Not sure how I feel about the message that we need to *change* ourselves, as I firmly believe that the motto 'be true to yourself' takes precedence. But the intent was actually to advise us to improve ourselves by taking chances, learning new things, developing our talents further... so, I recommend that you discuss that bit with your child. After all, mouse and lion become friends without trying to change each other, or change themselves for the other.

The Lion Inside is a humorous tale with a great rhyme scheme. There are also many examples of onomatopoeia that help facilitate the lively tone of the story. This book is easy to relate to because children, especially students, always want to be heard. The message that we all have a mouse and a lion inside could help a shy child open up or give another child the confidence to speak to those that intimidate them.

I love this book. I read this to my children all the time. The story is very relatable for children who may be shy and want to overcome this. I would read this to my class then have them write about a time when they were like the mouse and a time when they were like the lion or how they overcame a fear and were brave.

A mouse feels small and insecure and determines that what he needs to do is learn how to roar like a lion. He knows he has to act brave when he approaches a lion to learn how. In a hilarious turn of events, the lion is afraid of mice! The mouse comforts the lion, they become friends, and we learn that there's a lion and a mouse inside all of us.

Cute. Good Roaring, great Eeeeek and I like the pictures. The message is solid, as well -- if you want things to change, first look and see how you can change -- heh, the book does a better job than I did.

Love the illustrations. The story is alright - I just wish that it had given more time to the friendships that "developed" between the lion and the mouse. The original Aesop's fable is better and while this one is not really that same story, it echoes it. Just read the original though.