Lionel and the Book of Beasts

Media: Color pencils
Age Appropriateness: Intermediate
Review/critique: This was a book about Lionel, a young kid who is crowned king! As he discover what is left to him from past kings he discovers a magic book of beasts! Some of them are beautiful, good and helpful. Others though are bad, like the dragon who ate many villagers and tormented the kingdom. Lionel eventually figured out how to put a stop to it, and when he did everything was brought back to normal thanks to him. I enjoyed this fantasy book and I thought it did a good job of portraying fantasy by allowing magic to be real and allowing the beasts to come out of the book while keeping the rest of the world in reality and having things such as a parliament.

Plucked from his playroom to rule a medieval nation, little King Lionel rebels by opening a forbidden book. From the book comes a giant red dragon which proceeds to terrorize the countryside and eat Lionel's subjects. Desperate to undo the harm he's caused, Lionel continues to release beasts from the book, hoping that they will be able to fight the dragon. In the end, however, its down to him to restore peace to the kingdom.

Best known for her series of transitional chapter books, The Railway Children, Edith Nesbitt first published Lionel and the Book of Beasts at the turn of the 20th century. Despite the updated illustrations, Nesbitt's Victorian sensibilities are still in evidence. Modern readers may find her style smugly twee or show more stifling precious. Her style of humor, primarily featuring understatement and irony will pass over the heads of most children but might be enjoyed by their children. Modern children might also be confused by the fact that, in the story, Lionel has no parents--only a nurse. Contemporary readers would have understood that for the upper class (or even upwardly-looking middle class), parenting often consisted of hiring a governess to keep the kids out of sight. Needless to say, this fairy story has not aged as well as some.

While drawn in a modern style, the illustrations in this edition are nothing to be proud of either. Bright, rather poorly rendered watercolors might capture a child's eye, but show none of the creativity, innovation or playfulness that wins Caldecotts. The perspective of things often seems forced and the saturated colors almost detract from the story. Not recommended, but appropriate for grades 1-4. show less

A quaint story about a young King who has a big problem with a dragon he released into his new kingdom. The only solution, especially after the dragon ate his rocking horse, is to go and deal with the dragon himself. Although the plot line is well done, it comes across as a highly moral tale, something most elementary children will not readily take to. Detailed, jewel-toned realistic illustrations add to the beauty and fantasy feeling of the text invokes, although the large blocks of text make it more difficult to read, especially for young readers. Recommended for middle elementary (second through fourth) library areas. Ages 7-9