A Lion in Paris - Hardcover

Alemagna, Beatrice

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 184976171X ISBN 13: 9781849761710

Publisher: Tate, 2014

Synopsis

A Lion in Paris is widely regarded as the most accomplished book by multi-award-winning children’s author/illustrator Beatrice Alemagna. It tells the story of a lion who, bored by his rural life in the savanna, seeks excitement and opportunity in the City of Light. Upon arriving in Paris, the lion is disappointed to find that despite his size, people barely pay attention to him, not even when he lets out a ferocious roar on the busy underground Métro.
Revealing the sights and sounds of Paris from Montmartre to the Eiffel Tower, this beautifully illustrated book successfully conveys the experience of being a stranger in a new city and the process of understanding one’s own identity.

Praise for A Lion in Paris
STARRED REVIEW
"This oversized book about a bored young lion who visits Paris to find “a job, love and a future” is worth every bit of paper and ink. The lion atop the Eiffel Tower, mane blowing in the wind, captures the essence of this artful, whimsical delight."
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"By the time he decides to settle in the City of Lights, readers will be thoroughly charmed by both the lion and his creator."
—Publishers Weekly

"Ms. Alemagna's illustrations are made up of drawings, colored cutouts and bits of photography—an increasingly popular approach known as mixed-media collage—and she is playful with perspective. The effect is both mesmerizing and warming as we follow the great beast around the City of Light."
—The Wall Street Journal

About this title

About the Author:

Beatrice Alemagna is the winner of many international awards and prizes. She is the illustrator and author of over 20 books for children, translated into 13 different languages. Her artwork has been the subject of 14 solo exhibitions and has also been featured in group exhibitions in major museums.

From School Library Journal:

K-Gr 2—A lion, unhappy with his life, sets off to find "a job, love, and a future." He arrives at a Paris train station, expecting to be met with fear and even violence, but instead he is virtually ignored: "More than anything, the lion liked to be noticed." After some existential sadness in the rain, he starts to enjoy the sights of the city. Finally, he discovers an empty plinth at a crossroads, climbs up on it, and decides to stay there and become a Parisian landmark. There are only one or two short sentences per page, and there is little continuity from one spread to the next, making the story seem disjointed. The mixed-media illustrations include photographs, detailed drawings, and loosely sketched figures that play with scale to create a surreal world with a beige and orange color scheme. Perspective is flattened, causing objects to appear piled on top of one another. The pages are meant to be turned upward like a wall calendar, making it best for one-on-one reading, especially because of the large trim size. This story about finding where you are appreciated in the world will be more at home on coffee tables and in museum gift shops than at bedtime.—Anna Haase Krueger, Ramsey County Library, MN

About this edition

• Publisher: Tate
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 184976171X
• ISBN 13: 9781849761710
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32