“WARNING: CONTAINS A DANGEROUS BEAST AND A MISERABLE END.” It says it right on the cover, so the fainthearted can’t say they weren’t properly admonished. Belloc first published this rhyming cautionary tale about the perils of disobedience in 1907, and this version debuted in England in 2009. Grey’s artwork is gorgeous and bold (that perfect ham!). Fold-outs, pop-ups and lift-up flaps contribute to the over-the-top element that makes even little Jim’s bloody, chewed-off head seem not as horrific as it might. In fact, readers may not feel a lick of sympathy for Jim, as the boy looks bored out of his mind throughout, only showing emotion (fear, to be exact) when the lion begins to consume him by degrees. The elaborate fold-out “ZOO RULES AND BYELAWS” section is uproariously funny, including the “If You Are an Animal” column forbidding creatures to trumpet, stampede, charge, constrict, maul, circle, swarm, etc. All but the most sensitive children (over eight) will laugh their…heads off—especially if the book is read aloud with an English accent. (Picture book. 8 & up)
