If You See a Lion

A very cute and funny story about a lion. I thought that this was a cute and quirky book and the main message of not giving into perceptions and just being yourself, was a great one for kids! I am sure kids will love to read this book! The artwork is absolutely charming and the story is fun!

While I'm a little over picture books in which the protagonist ends up eating all the other characters, If You See a Lion is a cute rhyming story with adorable illustrations, great descriptive words and a fair amount of onomatopoeia. These aspects make it a perfect read aloud for younger grade levels and for teaching literary elements to younger students as well.

A very fun and engaging story with beautiful illustrations. I loved the message that the king does not need to be 'evil and scary' to be a king. He can be himself and still rule the jungle.

This is a book that young children are sure to enjoy. Lion has been gobbling up everything in sight. Our narrator warns you of lion’s mischief. This had an unexpected message to be unique and be yourself.

A fun concept with a bizarre twist ending. The rhythm of the text and charming illustrations pair nicely together, but the ending didn’t make sense to me; it felt like two different stories cut in half and attached to each other.

"If You See a Lion" is an adorable and fun new book from author, Karl Newson. The book is all about a lion who gets himself into a little bit of trouble by snacking on the creatures and things around him. Throughout the book, readers are encouraged to point out the lion if they see him which is a fun activity and keeps the book interactive. Our young ones loved pointing at the lion and laughing when he was called something else. The illustrations were fun and inviting for all ages of readers too! This book was a fun read that brought out some giggles and conversation while reading which is always a plus! Well done!

This is the story of a Lion.

”Once upon a time,
there was a story
in this book.

But a LION ate it all.”

And so he goes about eating, one by one, a TOOT-ing oompah band, a penguin and a troll, a dragon and a sprite, a river and a mountain peak… If you see a lion, don’t forget to shriek!

Rabbit is following him as he walks about eating everything, everyone in his path, finally sneaking up behind him and yelling LION! and Lion tells Rabbit to jump into his mouth and he’ll keep him safe and sound there from You-know-who. But Rabbit isn’t fooled, and tells him that he knows what happened to his friends and he’s come to ”get them out.

Once out, they ask him why he ate up everything and everyone, to which Lion responds -Why? Because I can of course! That’s why they call me King.

Rabbit tells Lion that he should just be himself, be his own kind of cat, but Lion is afraid that he’ll no longer be King, and then he’ll be all alone. Rabbit tells him that he can be a different kind of King.

This would make a wonderful read-aloud book, written in rhyme that is a fun addition for those being read to, the kind of book, like Goodnight, Moon, which parents will have memorized before long.


Pub Date: 18 Aug 2020


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Quarto Publishing Group / words & pictures via NetGalley

#IfYouSeeaLion #NetGalley

Certainly a fun read, this didn't quite deliver what I expected. It's a picture book in verse, and right away admits a lion has been eating things from off the pages, and so we better beware in case it's still there. The script then does a bit of a U-turn and decides to tell us that it's not so important whether the lion is there, but whether the lion is happy within himself. I don't really object to the moral, but I do think the work was more fun when it was being archly meta as at the beginning. Still, it is certainly quite clever that the peculiar approach to the narrative can be turned on its head to, you know, present something more useful alongside entertainment. Four stars, then, only slightly grudgingly, given.

First I am going to say that the illustrations and the cover seemed wonderful to me, they give you that great peculiarity that did not make me look away from the book, it has a very nice edition, I feel that it fits the story.
The story was beautiful and teaches you not to compromise on perceptions and just be yourself.
A read that children can enjoy, and highly recommended.

My boys would love this book! The rhyming verses are fun and the illustrations are very vibrant! I love that the big, tough lion who eats everything decides to be true to himself and that his friends accept him for who he is!

A charming rhyming tale of how a lion ate the story right out of the book. I chuckled to myself while reading. An adorable and quirky story about how you should be you and not a stereotypical version of yourself. The cadence of this one will have little ones giggling and wanting to find every hidden detail on every page.

The lion ate the story, and well just about everything else. If you see a lion, you must remember to yell. This is such an entertaining book that can keep keeps laughing for a long time. It would be awesome to have it in a classroom and get all the kids participating.

A delightful and whimsical story about learning to be yourself and not trying to live up to others' expectations. Wonderfully vivid and energetic illustrations that pull you in to the tale and provide laughs as well as insight into the characters.

Karl Newson has several books under his belt and a further few more on the way. They are always charming and funny, and sometimes have an eccentric twist!
“Once upon a time, there was a story in this book...but a lion ate it all up”

With such a fabulous start to the story, how can you resist? In we jump to find that every page has seen the lion come stomping through, biting and chomping on scenes, characters and words. However, the rabbit and the reader go on the hunt for the lion, who is still hiding in the book.
As the reader, we can see the lion but Rabbit sees pirates and dragons gold instead. I can imagine the shouts of children as they spot the lion on each page. Brilliant illustrations will guide the reader to find the lion, and we will stand behind the rabbit as he faces up to the lion!

Of course, it may get worse for the Rabbit before it gets better and there is a funny scene where the lion begins to feel a bit ill!
Can the brave Rabbit stand up to the lion and will the lion see the error of his ways?

An excellent book on courage, friendships and fun! The vocabulary used to describe the lion is super and will prompt plenty of discussions in class,

This is an adorable little book with beautiful illustrations and lyrical rhymes. Loved the colors and layout as well, and think kids from babies to grade schoolers will love learning what to do "if you see a lion!" Will definitely be adding to our personal library and giving as gifts in the future!

I requested and received an e-ARC of this book from Karl Newson and Quatro Publishing Group – words & pictures through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a cute, rhyming book about a lion that thinks he needs to act a certain way because he is a lion and wants to be called king. I love when the rabbit enters the scene and recaps all the rhyming we have heard up to that point in the book, and then the rabbit calls the lion out. Love the illustrations they are fun.

I'd give this story book 7 stars out of 5 if I could! (And I've only said that once before!!)

Even before you open the cover of this book there's so much to think about & see! Is that a bite taken out of the cover illustration? How did that happen? Whose ears are sticking out in the corner?

Is that a lion or a pirate with an eye patch & wooden leg? And, oh my gosh, what happened to the forest?

”Once upon a time, there was a story in this book.

But a LION ate it all.”

With such an unusual opening line, you know you're in for a great storytime read! What's going to happen if the lion already ate the story? Will the pages be empty? Are there any words left?

With so many imaginative details to find in the illustrations by Andrea Stegmaier, leave extra time either during or after reading to enjoy them! This story is full of surprises & great fun sculpted with such care by the words of Karl Newson.

The rhyming element is quirky, fun & clever - not at all predictable - such a refreshing & welcome bonus!

The illustrations are bold & colourful but not too busy on the page that you get lost & can't decide where to look.
The use of repetition doesn't overtake the story but is very effective. There's even a chance to create your own fun memory game out of one of the visually wonderful double-page spreads.

A fun, playful story with a real message about friendship & also about being yourself. It presents so many opportunities for conversation with children, wrapped up in the best crazy adventure.

This is a book I can imagine reading over & over again & seeing something different every time. It's a great read-aloud story for groups & also for youngsters developing their reading skills.

Such a fun treasure!

If You See a Lion has the humour I've come to expect from Karl Newson's books.

It also has a feel of Jon Klassen/ Steven Lenton about it.

The story uses the idea that the lion needs to be fierce and scary in order to be king of the jungle. He encounters a small rabbit, who is brave enough to stand up to the lion and convince him that there may be a better way.

A fun rhyming book, which will have younger children shouting out the end of the sentences/rhymes.

I particularly loved the end papers. The illustrations are vibrant and energetic.

My daughter found this book so entertaining. I loved that the story was used to teach young children just to be theirselves. The pictures were very good and colorful.

This is one of those books that just makes a massive smile stretch across your face as you're reading it. It's so playful and witty and wonderfully original, and I think lots of readers are going to love this!

There is a lion on the loose (so the narrator tells us), and things keep getting gobbled up. There used to be a unicorn over there but now there is just a broken rainbow. And that pirate hat? Well, the pirate was gobbled up along with a wizard and a dinosaur too! With all that munching going on, we're told to shout if we see a lion.

That's exactly what a little rabbit does, and the rabbit gets increasingly exasperated as it's quite clear there's something fishy going on with this narrator... will the rabbit confront this pesky narrator and manage to avoid being the lion's next meal? And can a lion every change his ways?

I love how Karl Newson builds the story gradually and I can totally imagine little readers getting really excited about this as they realise what's going on and joining in with the rabbits shouts of 'Lion!'. We also love Andrea Stegmaier's illustrations too, there is SO much personality in the lion and the rabbit and all the details for the creatures which have been gobbled are awesome. And there's a fab message about being your true self and not just trying to live up to what other people think you are.

"If You See a Lion" is a hilarious rhyming book from author, Karl Newson. Lion gets into all sorts of trouble when he decides to live up to his name and eat all the storybook characters and then lie about what he's done. Rabbit isn't fooled and sets about to "get them out of there." Young readers wills be captivated by the interactive story and engaging illustrations.

Shortcomings: The flow of the story is jumpy at times.

Verdict: I would definitely recommend purchasing this book for early elementary classrooms. It is perfect for a read aloud and teaching literacy elements.

Really wonderful illustrations, I would even say award-winning. The book is very busy and very wordy which disqualifies it as a good read-aloud. This would make a really great title for more sophisticated students which is to say I recommend it.

The cover is what attracted me to the book, and the artwork throughout was more of the same charming, whimsical work. I love the artwork for 'If You See a Lion'. Such visual appeal! The interactive nature of this book, where children will see a lion, and be in on the secret that there is a lion there, will truly engage them. There is a lot of insider information, like where the lion got his outfit from (by eating everyone) that children can catch so it really encourages thinking. The language is rich, and I love the rhyme incorporated in it. The overall message was also a good one- about being yourself. I really enjoyed this, although it felt that it was a little choppy and disjointed in places. Children are sure to love the rhyme, artwork, story line and message.

Be Your Own Cat

The book starts with a startling sentence, where we are told that there is no story because a lion has eaten it all up. The reader is encouraged to look for this lion on all the pages and to make a loud sound if they find him. In fact, the lion is right there in the thick of the action, trying to hide in plain sight while he recounts dastardly things he’s done, like eating other creatures and even a forest in his desire to remain king. Near the end of the book, a rabbit calls him out, suggesting that he doesn't have to do these terrible things and that he should just be himself, the lion that is in his heart. Later pages then show him leading a parade with the other characters. He still leads, but since he is now a better creature, he has new friends.

The illustrations in this book are cute and would certainly appeal to younger children. What's fun about this book is the first part is set up as if the lion sharing the story isn't a lion; he puts an eye patch on—so now, a pirate! Kids will have silly fun when asked to find the lion—it’s right there in a not-so-good disguise! The lion also warns the reader multiple times about how they should shriek, yell, and make other loud noises if they ever see a lion. The book had a good message about being yourself. Because of all the interaction, I think this would be a great read aloud. We don't see any violence on the pages, though the eating of so many lovable characters—including unicorns—might be disturbing to some young children.

At first glance this book seems to be a fun book about a lion who doesn't know how to behave to fit in with his peers. But after I read it again, I thought it would be really good to read to my little boys who have poor role models (or no role models) at home. Maybe what family members teach them at home is not really conducive to school. I think I would use this book to teach social skills at the beginning of the year. Otherwise, it is a very funny book! I know my younger students would enjoy it!

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

If you see a Lion is a fun and entertaining book for children, full of rhyming and humour. This book will have little ones shouting out rhyming words and joining in the story as it is read and it would make a fantastic class story.

A well-paced and very funny story about a lion who devours everything in its path! ^^
The subtext of this album is interesting because it evokes the fact of remaining yourself and not trying to correspond to the image that others paste us.
I liked the illustrations, with simple settings and very expressive characters.

Silly, funny and charming story which would be brilliant to read aloud. The illustrations are excellent and there is lots to spot on the page. Really enjoyed this.

The illustrations in "If You See a Lion" were fantastic. I enjoyed it, and kids will enjoy roaring like a lion while reading it. I think it would be good for story time.