Jim, Who Ran Away from His Nurse, and Was Eaten by a Lion - Hardcover

Grey, Mini; Belloc, Hilaire

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0375859705 ISBN 13: 9780375859700

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2010

Synopsis

A treat for fans of ghastly gore and egregious endings.

“Contains a Dangerous Beast and a Miserable End,” states a warning on the cover. But if you are strong of heart and like your humor a little on the dark side, jump right into the brilliant collaboration of the Edwardian humorist Hilaire Belloc, dead for the past 57 years, and the very much alive Mini Grey. Grey's sly illustrations, clever type designs, amazing lift-the-flaps, and a roaring lion pop-up, not to mention her zoo map with hilarious Rules and Byelaws, make this edition of the classic cautionary tale a collectible to savor. Decidedly not a lift-the-flap for babies, it will lift the spirits of anyone with a well-developed sense of humor.

About this title

About the Author

Mini Grey is the author-artist of the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award–winning picture book Traction Man Is Here! and its sequel, Traction Man Meets Turbodog. The books received five and six starred reviews, respectively. Her quirky, off-the-wall humor can also be seen in The Adventures of the Dish and the Spoon, The Very Smart Pea and the Princess to Be, Ginger Bear, and Egg Drop.

Hilaire Belloc (1870–1953) wrote the now-classic cautionary tale Jim in 1907. It was written as a satirical response to the didactic morality tales popular for children in Victorian times and was intended as much for adults as children. He lived and died in England.

From School Library Journal

Gr 3-5–In this parody of a cautionary tale, a lion eats disobedient young Jim. While the text states that Jim's “Friends were very good to him,” the mixed-media illustrations show otherwise, as the adults who care for the boy overfeed him to the point of illness, give him a tricycle too small for him, and subject him to boring read-alouds. No wonder “Jim slipped his hand and ran away” while his nurse flirted with a man at the zoo. The moral? “...always keep a-hold of Nurse/For fear of finding something WORSE.” Wryly humorous, cartoon illustrations with foldout pages, flaps, and a pop-up lion extend the sarcastic text. Some adults may object to the depiction of Jim's decapitated head and the bloody “Dainty Morsel” in the lion's mouth, but kids with an ironic sense of humor who are beginning to question adult authority will likely eat this story up.Julie R. Ranelli, Queen Anne's County Free Library, Stevensville, MD
© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

About this edition

• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0375859705
• ISBN 13: 9780375859700
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 26
• Illustrator: Grey Mini