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THE BUTTERFLY LION

Name: THE BUTTERFLY LION
Author: Michael Morpurgo
ISBN: 0-670-87461-2

by Michael Morpurgo ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 1997

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A runaway schoolboy finds a magnificent monument to a magnificent animal in this ghost story, at once marvelous and matter-of-fact, from Morpurgo (Robin of Sherwood, 1996, etc.). The author casts himself as the ten-year-old narrator, whose attempt to run away from a miserable boarding-school existence ends in a dusty house, where a friendly old widow shows him a great lion cut into the chalk on a hillside—the butterfly lion. She tells him how it came to be there: Her Bertie, a lonely boy in South Africa, found and began to raise a white lion cub, tearfully saw it sold to a French circus owner, reclaimed it years later during the Great War, and brought it to England to live. When it died, Bertie spent the next 40 years carving its likeness on the hill. Astonishing in itself, the chalk lion becomes even moreso after a rain, when thousands of Adonis Blue butterflies gather on it. Urging him to come again, the old woman takes the boy back to school; only later does he learn that she died—as her husband did—years ago. This dreamlike story is suffused with a man's lifelong love for a rare, gentle animal friend. (Fiction. 9-12)

Pub Date: May 1, 1997

ISBN: 0-670-87461-2

Page Count: 90

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1997

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
THE OGRE WHO WASN'T
by Michael Morpurgo ; illustrated by Emily Gravett

- BOOK REVIEW
WAR HORSE PICTURE BOOK
by Michael Morpurgo ; illustrated by Tom Clohosy Cole

- BOOK REVIEW
THE PUFFIN KEEPER
by Michael Morpurgo ; illustrated by Benji Davies

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TINY'S BATH

by Cari Meister ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 1999

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In this Easy-to-Read entry is a dog large enough to chase Clifford the big red dog right out of town. Tiny is a dog who is the exact opposite of what his name implies. When he gets dirty, his owner—a small boy—has to search to find a receptacle big enough to scrub him down. A pail, the sink, and even the bathtub are dwarfed by the presence of this giant hound; only the little boy’s wading pool will do. The child gets Tiny washed, only to be dirtied himself when his pooch discovers a new mud puddle to play in. Both boy and dog come clean in the end. Davis’s playful illustrations romp alongside the beginning reader text, using an easy, loping giganticism to portray this big pet’s appeal. (Picture book. 5-7)

Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1999

ISBN: 0-670-87962-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1999

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
PONY POEMS FOR LITTLE PONY LOVERS
by Cari Meister ; illustrated by Sara Rhys

- BOOK REVIEW
I HAVE A LITTLE SEEDLING
by Cari Meister ; illustrated by Jenni Desmond

- BOOK REVIEW
TINY GOES BACK TO SCHOOL
by Cari Meister ; illustrated by Rich Davis

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LIKE LIKES LIKE

by Chris Raschka & illustrated by Chris Raschka ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 1999

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A vibrant and delightful picture book about a little white cat who sees all sorts of other animals in pairs, who are obviously happy to be so paired off. But the cat is alone and “unlike the rest. Unlucky, alone.” He finds himself in a rose garden where there are roses, the sea, flowers, birds and bees (“fliers”), trees, the sky, grass, and all manner of nature’s beauty. He sees another cat and feels so happy as they run through the roses together (“Not alone now”). This is an upbeat book about the happiness a soul mate can bring—a little more emotional than Yo? Yes! but just as exuberant. The divine illustrations reflect the pleasure and joy of companionship, no matter where it’s found. (Picture book. 4-8)