This story highlights the value of being able to draw (or have any special skill) and tries to teach kids that it's better to be nice than grumpy and mean. Unfortunately, it's poorly written and way too message-y to be enjoyable. ( )

Sarah is walking through the jungle when a big lion pounces in front of her. “What are you doing in my jungle?” the lion roars. Sarah tells him that she’s only going for a walk.

But no one walks in the jungle. They run, sprint, prowl, creep swing, lumber, slither, swoop, gallop, and scuttle. This is no place for a little girl says the lion.

When Sarah begins to sing, the lion asks about that noise. No one sings in the jungle, he says. They roar, yowl, grunt, chatter, buzz, trumpet, hiss, growl, pant, and harrumph.

And since Sarah shouldn’t be in the jungle, the lion says he is going to eat her. But Sarah loves the jungle and begs Lion to tell her what she can do to stay.

What will Lion say?

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Young readers will enjoy all the movements and sounds of the jungle. As Sarah solves the problem by becoming the jungle’s artist-in-residence [since none of the animals can draw], young readers will discover there are always solutions . . . sometimes quite unique . . . for any problem.

Recommended. ( )

When Sarah goes for a walk in the jungle, she sings a happy song. Before long, a ferocious lion jumps from behind a bush and demands to know why she is in his jungle. When Sarah explains that she is walking, the lion asserts that jungle creatures “Run, sprint, prowl, creep, swing, lumber, slither, swoop, gallop and scuttle.”

When Sarah says that she was singing, the lion states that jungle creatures “Roar, yowl, grunt, chatter, buzz, trumpet, hiss, growl, pant, and harrumph.”

Lion decides that Sarah would make a tasty lunch especially since she can’t stalk like Tiger or leap like Gazelle.

Sarah suggests that she can do something that no jungle creature can do. She can draw. When, at last, she shows Lion her picture, he is not impressed with the angry lion face he sees and, when the other animals agree that he is a bully, Lion decides to change his ways.

Wonderful descriptive language and bright, bold drawn and computer-generated illustrations enhance this examination of bullying behavior and leave readers with a sense of optimism about one’s ability to speak up, enlist help and ultimately encourage a bully to change for the better.

Lion’s Lunch is best suited to children aged four and up.