Lion vs. Rabbit - Hardcover

Latimer, Alex

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1561457094 ISBN 13: 9781561457090

Publisher: Peachtree, 2013

Synopsis

In this hilarious story about outwitting a bully, it turns out that someone small can be more powerful than someone big!

Lion bullies all the other animals until finally they can't take it anymore. They post an ad, asking for help. One animal after another tries and fails to defeat Lion. Can no one stop him?

Finally, a rabbit arrives. No one thinks that such a small animal will be brave enough or strong enough to defeat Lion. But this rabbit might just be smart enough!

A hilariously quirky tale from Alex Latimer, filled with visual puns, wordplay, and an entertaining and unique message about working together.

About this title

About the Author

Alex Latimer lives in South Africa near the border of a national park. So when not writing or drawing, he spends his free time shooing baboons out of his lounge. He has written several picture books for children.

Reviews

PreS-Gr 2–Lion is nasty to his fellow jungle animals: he gives Buffalo “a wedgie,” sticks a note saying “I'm a horse” on Zebra's back, and steals Hyena's “lunch monkey.” The beleaguered creatures decide to place an online advertisement for a protector, but the respondents can't compete with Lion's boxing, fencing, and arm-wrestling prowess. When a small rabbit arrives, Lion assumes certain victory. The king of the jungle is surprised when he fails miserably at besting the bunny at marshmallow eating, hopping, and painting competitions. After losing the final “race to the top of the mountain” challenge, Lion admits defeat and promises to stop bullying the animals. Latimer's digital colored-pencil illustrations humorously capture the funny details of the contests, such as Lion's paint-splattered stick drawing of a dinosaur compared to Rabbit's rendition of the Mona Lisa (with bunny ears). Readers will laugh at the surprise revelation that a colony of wily rabbits was in on the success. This quirky twist on “The Tortoise and the Hare” is a winner.–Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canadaα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

The concept of a trickster rabbit, ready and willing to take on a less quick-witted, if stronger, opponent, isn’t exactly new. But Latimer does the trope justice and adds a nice twist to the story line: a last reveal that should make readers smile, playing off a rabbit’s capacity to multiply. Set in Africa, the story centers around a lion who is such a bully that the other animals are willing to pay someone to stop him. Their first attempts to recruit a hero are failures—neither the bear, tiger, or moose is up to the task. Then comes Rabbit. The little guy proposes a series of competitions—a marshmallow-eating contest, a TV quiz show, etc.—all for which Lion is ill-prepared. Bright art and boxy-looking critters will seem familiar to fans of Latimer’s earlier books. Meanwhile, plenty of busy asides allude to Rabbit’s quick thinking, and evocative but simple facial expressions help make the story lively. Readers should be pleasantly swept up in this underdog victory. Preschool-Grade 2. --Karen Cruze

Edition details

• Publisher: Peachtree
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1561457094
• ISBN 13: 9781561457090
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32