A very silly book looking at the starting sound of li- and the way it can finish in all sorts of ways. Not much of a storyline, however, and simply drawn, so might function better as a storytime book than a classic favorite.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Simple illustrations and story. Kids will have a fun time trying to figure out what comes next.

A book that looks so simple but says so much!! This sparked a game of red light, green light with my Italian preschoolers who are learning English. The illustrations in a limited colour pallette manage to be super expressive.

I like the simple line drawings here. I like the simple subversion of expectations, the multitude of words substituted for "light". I even like the ways the lion utilizes the other words to make the best of various troubles. THe message is a bit heavy handed.

Red Light, Green Lion by Candace Ryan is a charming children’s book that teaches more than the colors red and green; it gives a lesson in making the best of the happy and sad surprises that show up in our day.
Ryan prefaces this book with a short quote by the priest and author Henri Nouwen (1932-1996), and she includes a line of dedication which reads, “For Henri Nouwen, who taught me how to look for the hidden gifts in rainy-day red lights.”
With the clear and uncomplicated crayon-like line drawings of illustrator Jennifer Yerkes, Ryan tells the story of a lion waiting at a traffic light. The word “light” is hyphenated to the flip-page where we see “li-“ isn’t light at all, but “lion”. This pattern of page-turning surprises repeats throughout the book, as well as the “li-“ sound to form new words.
Our friendly green lion experiences lightning and a flood of rain with all manner of fanciful things floating past. The expressions on the faces of the animal characters are readable and captivating. I would read this to children from birth up through 12-years old, and I’m sure I’d get requests for repeated readings from the same audience (of those able to communicate). I expect Red Light, Green Lion to find a treasured place in many a child’s home, and heart as well.
@KidsCanPress @CandaceRyan #RedLightGreenLion #NetGalley #ChildrensFiction

I thought Red Light, Green Lion offered a unique perspective that children will be able to relate to. The story talks about being prepared on any given day, because you never know what will happen. Our days can be full of surprises, beauty, and kindness, but they can also leave us feeling down and discouraged. I like that this story touches on both possibilities.

Red Light, Green Lion covers a lot of topics with simple sentences that convey a deeper meaning. "Some days, everything slows down, and we may feel stuck. Those are good times to be still and think." Every day has the potential to be amazing, but some days will be harder than others. Our perspective can play a large role in determining the outcome.

I love the simplicity of the illustrations. I love that you don’t know what is coming next - this will delight children.

While this is a very cool concept, I'm not sure the execution is as effective as I'd hope, especially when it comes to the level of appeal to children versus adults.

Red light, Green Li-on
Red light, Green Li-ghtning
I would like to start by saying how wonderful this book is! My toddler loved it. The story of how things may not go as expected is a perfect lesson for children. The illustrations were simple, yet perfect for the age group.

The illustrations in Red Light, Green Lion are simple, yet bold. The follow the text well and enhance the reading. The text is lyrical and rhythmic. There are pages that make sense and some that might be more difficult for young readers to understand. The sentiments of the theme are lovely and for the most impact, even though the text is simple, this would be a better read for older children who might be able to process the lessons.

A simply but beautifully illustrated picture book that teaches kindness with some silliness. Children will be drawn to the colours, the animals and the fun predicaments the green lion finds himself in. Parents will enjoy the humour of the book making it perfect for story time.

Great book and lovely illustrations! As a translator I was focusing (maybe way too much) on how difficult it would be to translate it to some other languages.

Red Light, Green Lion is one of those children's books that also has a fine and uplifting message for adults. It is about the unexpected things that can happen in life and about coping with whatever comes up with an open mind and heart.

Some examples of the clever pages in this book...each is on a two page spread with whimsical line drawings, so at first it is not clear what the second page will say.

Red Light...Green Li (next page) lac (lilac)

Red Light...Green Li (next page) fe preserver (life preserver)

And some text:

"Then on some days, when we feel most discouraged, something amazing happens right in front of us, and we don't even notice it happening.

Red Light...Green Li (next page) ghtning bugs

And it changes everything."

This is a sweet book with a positive message.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-proof. The opinions are my own.

“Red Light Green Lion” is original and creative and imaginative. I can’t wait to share it with the children in my life. It’s a great read aloud for teachers. You never know what’s coming on the next page except that it will be green and start with “li-“.

This delightful picture book is full of imagination and creativity. It is pouring rain and a lion is delayed at a traffic light waiting for the light to turn green. During the pause all sorts of weird things begin to transpire. All the happenings are silly and begin with "Li" sounds just like the word Li-on. How utterly peculiar and unexplainable!

Undaunted the lion takes everything calmly and in stride. "Some days are not like most days," he states at the beginning of the book. And this day certainly proves him right.
This fun book is inspired by the popular childhood game Red Light, Green Light (which I used to play on my front lawn with my friends every night at twilight). The simple text and the repeated refrain lets kids interact as they try to guess which word might appear next. The illustrations are very different but work well with the simple text. They are limited in colour and drawn with lovely, expressive lines. The illustrator repeatedly uses a soft muted grey colour to present the mystery word so everyone can easily understand the concept.

The author expresses some very important life lessons in her book such as the importance of carrying out acts of kindness, promoting teamwork with those around you, and practising the art of inclusivity. The lion philosophically sums it all up... "Some days we get exactly what we need, exactly when we need." "And some days, nothing goes the way we thought it would." The light turns green and off he goes deeper into his day.

Red Light, Green Lion follows a lion at a red light and all the peculiar things he comes across as he waits. Oh, the things he sees! Peculiar, indeed. Lion meets new friends and helps others. The text reassures us no matter what comes our way, good or bad, can be worthwhile. The illustrations complimented the text and added to the story well!

This beautifully illustrated picture book is full of charm and silliness! When a lion is waiting in the rain at a red traffic light he encounters all sorts of interesting things, all beginning with "Li" sounding words, such as a library of books and livestock in a lifeboat.
The lion shows how to roll with what comes his way and he offers kindness along the way! The simple artwork throughout the story is cheery and adorable! This book would be a great addition to any preschooler's story time!
Thank you to Kids Can Press and NetGalley for this advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
This will be featured on my blog on Tuesday November 27th, 2018.
www.colecampfireblog

Ryan had me smiling on page one and laughing by page two. Green Lion is waiting at a red light when it starts to rain and odd things happen. When the rain stops, we meet Red Lion. Yerkes' illustrations are super cute and perfect for the story. I loved the cow, duck, and fireflies the most.

A perfect book that will have many children laughing as they try to guess what li- thing will appear next. 
Thank you Kids Can Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this super cute book!

Hmmm… Certainly an appealing and interesting book, but I don't think it's an out-and-out success. In trying to define all the kinds of days we live through as humans – happy days, days of surprise and doldrum days – the text might as well try and teach mindfulness to the under-tens. It ain't gonna work. Parallel to that we have a very clever use of the page-turn and centrefold, where a secondary narrative concerning the titular traffic feature and big cat plays out. That's where the fun and wit in the book comes across, but while it plays very well as an illustrator of the black text, they both distract from each other. I had to go back and read the plain self-help bits in isolation. So all in all I can't believe the self-help will, er, help, and I can't pretend it will sink in when there's so much distraction going on. The panel-breaking shenanigans of the design is really clever, however – that certainly would deserve a book on its own.