Hilary and the Lions - Softcover

Desaix, Frank

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0374430659 ISBN 13: 9780374430658

Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux, 1996

Synopsis

Ainsley and Rollo, the majestic, marble lions guarding the New York Public Library, come to life one magical night to help a young tourist find her parents.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

PreSchool-Grade 1-- In this picture book fantasy, Hilary visits New York City for the first time with her parents. She becomes separated from them, and settles down at the feet of one of the stone lions in front of the New York Public Library, waiting to be found. Hilary dozes and then awakens to find that the lions have come to life. She is given a magical ride through the deserted nighttime streets of Manhattan as the lions return her to her parents. Brief text on the left-hand pages faces full-page illustrations on the right. The representational illustrations, done in muted colors and occasionally of striking design, convey a magic that the text does not. The language is stiff and awkward. More damaging is the lack of clarity or urgency in the story line. Hilary exhibits insufficient anxiety about being lost to sustain readers' concern about her. On the other hand, the text is too plodding for the book to work simply as an evocation of the magic of a sleeping city. --Cynthia Bishop, Onondaga County Public Library, Syracuse, NY
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly:

The lions that guard the New York Public Library come to life in a "gentle fantasy [that] unfolds with quiet, insistent power," said PW. Ages 5-8.
- unfolds with quiet, insistent power," said PW. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0374430659
• ISBN 13: 9780374430658
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Desaix Deborah Durland