If I Were a Lion

Being brave and fierce and wild and free sounds a lot like a lion to me. The character in this Children’s picture book, If I Were A Lion wants to be all of these things. As well, she wants to say, “No smooches until I am ready.”  The young one wants to have many voices, loud and soft, happy, and sad. She would always be brave, except when she was being careful. Being a lion would mean that you could eat cake any way you wanted.

Then the girl thinks, maybe she is a lion because she already has so many choices, and she can shine. The pathways open to lions and little girls are very similar. Both hunt with their pack, both can fight for dominance (although girls have less claws), both can relax when their bodies are tired, and both can roll around in the mud.

Kitty Black and Giuseppe Poli have shown many children in various situations. The inclusion of handicapped children is clever, in showing they can also be fierce. The artwork consists of outlines and sketches suggesting movement and action. The humour adds an extra dimension to the story. “If I were a lion I would not eat like a lady.”

The ending is highly appropriate suggesting it’s alright to be a lion but it’s also good to be ME.