Horrible Hair by Gerald Rose

Horrible Hair by Gerald Rose is a children's  picture book would be an appreciated addition to any preschool or early childhood library, being witty, with both worthy phrase  repetition and a certain amount of intrigue, it will equally appeal to a mother or maybe new age dad experiencing a bad hair day. Lion has been invited to a riverboat party, not any old party mind you, and for sure he wants to look his best; I mean after all he is supposed of be king of the jungle. He passes the entire day trying out new hair styles and seeking the approval of his close jungle friends as indeed we humans often do in our people world. Well, finally Lion settles on a style, but unfortunately or fortunately due to hippos over-exuberant dancing the riverboats sinks and all the guest end up in the drink. What the happens to Lion's much thought-through hairstyle? I guess the moral could quite easily be "be appreciated for who you are."

Snow Lion by David McPhail

Snow Lion by David McPhail, published in 1982, deals with a lion who isn't coping too well with the hot conditions in his jungle. So he ventures up into the mountains where he finds snow, a substance he has never seen before. Eager to share his discovery he carries a sample back to the jungle. However, when he returns home and opens his bag, to his great depair, his cold fluffy stuff has disappeared. What could be happening? His friends are starting to think he must be delusional. This quaint little hard back is a delightful read for infant children. David McPhail has written and illustrated over 200 books and lives in Massachusetts.

Author/illustrator David McPhail

The Butterfly Lion by Michael Morpurgo

I found this to be a very moving book and read it in one sitting. It begins with a young boy running away from his boarding school in Wiltshire. He meets an old woman who tells him th story of Bertie and the butterfly lion. Bertie is an only child who liven on a farm in South Africa near a place called Timbavati. There is a fence around the house and he is not allowed to leave this compound because of the threats the wild animals pose. One day Bertie leaves the compound to rescue a white lion cub whose mother has been shot. He is allowed to keep the cub and he and the white lion become inseparable, but eventually he has to go to boarding school and his father sells the cub to a French circus owner. Bertie promise to find the lion one day. The story follows his life through his school days where he meets the love of his life, Millie, and his service in the Great War. The pleasure of the book is enhanced by the many pencil illustrations drawn by Christian Birmingham. To hear the author, Michael Morpurgo read from his novel, click on the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVQd2li8CgQ