A Hungry Lion or A Dwindling Assortment of Animals by Lucy Ruth Cummins

     

    "Once upon a time," as author and illustrator Lucy Ruth Cummins leads us into her debut storybook,  A Hungry Lion or a Dwindling Assortment of Animals, "there was a very hungry lion and some adorable little animals"..., a kitten, a mouse, two bunnies that have floppy and un-floppy ears, a bat, a turtle, among others. The hungry lion and his adorable friends happily gather together, when, suddenly, with a quick turn of the page, some of the animals go missing. One by one, his little friends disappear, when only who remains is the hungry lion and a little turtle.  The hungry lion quickly becomes confused when the lights go out, only to be greeted by his original group of friends gathered around a beautifully delicious looking birthday cake.  Our hungry lion looks among his friends enjoying the party with a mischievous smile, when he decides to turn out the lights. But, the tables soon turn on the hungry lion, leading to a twist at the very end that will leave you and your readers completely surprised! The illustrations, brightly colored with hues of red and charcoal, work alongside the story line effortlessly as readers soon discover that while you might not always be able to trust a famished lion, there just might be be a bigger eater waiting in the wings!

        Now, understandably, some may find Cummins tale to be perhaps a bit dark for the intended age group (between 4 to 8 years old), and they may feel hesitant about introducing it to their more sensitive little ones (they will question just where exactly, did all the other animals go--- did they disappear or did they end up in the stomach of the hungry lion?) .  If your little one is delicate to stories with subtly dark overtones, this just may not be a book for them to read at this stage.  However, there will also be some may find that the authors irreverent humorous story line to be refreshing, that their readers are able to handle the authors clever filled tale and use it as means discussing the concepts of making predictions, developing counting skills, and using their imagination wondering what they think may come next.

A Hungry Lion or a Dwindling Assortment of Animals 

Written & Illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins 

Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster (2016)

For ages 4 thru 8

ISBN: 978-1-4814-4889-5