THE LION UPSTAIRS

by Stephen Krensky ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 21, 1983

A pale and misdirected contrivance. Sam's family ignores him when he says he's on a big game hunt in the living room, and again when he says he has captured a lion. But then Sam begins using the lion as an excuse for not mowing the lawn (the lion likes to prowl in the tall grass), not taking out the garbage (the lion might want a midnight snack), and so on. Then the family retaliates: cutting out his allowance because the lion's meat is so expensive, filling his room with plants so the lion will feel at home, and at last threatening to get another animal from the zoo to keep the lion company. At that, Sam sends the lion back to Africa. As a psychological ploy the family's conspiracy shows a mean streak, and as a story it's thin and mechanical. If Krensky knows kids, he should know that a kid old enough to mow the lawn is past the imaginary lion stage (and needs more considered treatment if he isn't); while the drawings, which also make him too old for such games, are just as flat and unimaginative.

Pub Date: April 21, 1983

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Atheneum

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1983

Categories: CHILDREN'S