Product Description

A good-natured lion is misunderstood by the rest of the jungle animals because of his loud, growling voice. He pads up to a pool of water one day and, bending to drink, sees his reflection on its surface. He gasps at the fierce creature staring back at him and is too frightened to drink. Just as the lion sees himself in the water, children can see themselves in him. They can use him as an example to learn to deal positively with fears and inhibitions that so often arise from situations they as yet may not understand.

Ages 3 - 8

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #220305 in Books
• Published on: 1998-09
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .34" h x 8.72" w x 11.52" l, .86 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

From School Library Journal

K-Gr 2-Share the Lion walks about saying "Grrrrrrrrrrrrr" a lot ("because that's how lions talk," the story reminds readers often). When he tries to ask the frightened animals why they all run from him, all that comes out is "Grr-grrr," and so of course they continue to flee. When he stops to drink from a pool, his own reflection scares him until a brave butterfly explains that there really isn't anyone else in the water. Eventually, Share announces, "...at last I've learned that a reflection is not the same as the real thing!" (No Grrrrrrrr this time!) The story is too disjointed to lead to any satisfying conclusion. The focus first appears to be on the other creatures' fear of the lion, which mysteriously disappears without cause, and then on his inability to communicate, and finally on his fear of his reflection, which not only goes away, but apparently leaves him with the ability to say something other than Grrrrrrrr. Fear of a growling lion isn't that irrational, and fear of one's reflection is not high on the list of childhood traumas in need of bibliotherapy, so what youngsters are left with here is a fairly silly story with a vague moral. It's unfortunate, because Rodriguez's illustrations are expansive, jovial, and colorful.-Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PA

Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

REVIEWER'S CHOICE, The Children's Bookwatch
"Enjoy ... new bright collections featuring different illustrators ... fine stories!"

From the Publisher
Beautifully illustrated in stunning color, this award-winning series of large-format children's books by Idries Shah presents tales from a rich tradition of storytelling. All books were well reviewed and one received a National Parenting Publications Honors Award.

For thousands of years all over the Middle East and Central Asia children have been entertained and taught by these stories and have continued to tell them in adult life. Until his death in 1996, Shah collected hundreds of such stories and adapted them to contemporary Western culture. His adult books continue to attract millions of readers from all over the world.

Sufi tradition affirms that there is a continuum of the children's story, the entertainment story, and the teaching story. A story can help young children deal with difficult situations and give them something to hold on to. Adults can at the same time understand it on a more spiritual level. Through repeated readings of this rich body of oral and written material both children and adults can now learn to develop the capacity to be more flexible, as well as get fresh insights into many things about themselves and about life.