Lafcadio, The Lion Who Shot Back (Hardcover)

by Shel Silverstein (Author) "Once there was a young lion and his name was-well, I don't really know what his name was because he lived in the jungle with..." (more)
Key Phrases: marshmallow suit, more marshmallows, circus man, Lafcadio the Great, Uncle Shelby (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
First published in 1963, the late Shel Silverstein's children's book debut Lafcadio: The Lion Who Shot Back, will resonate with young readers much as it did 40 years ago. The affable narrator Uncle Shelby's story begins: "Once there was a young lion and his name was--well, I don't really know what his name was because he lived in the jungle with a lot of other lions and if he did have a name it certainly wasn't a name like Joe or Ernie or anything like that." That all changes, however, when a circus man discovers the lion's skills as a marksman (the lion took a gun from a hunter he ate) and names him Lafcadio the Great. When the circus man takes Lafcadio to New York City, the story takes on a certain Crocodile Dundee quality--the lion eats the menu at a fancy restaurant, demands marshmallows (he likes the sound of them), and is captivated by the hotel elevator. As Lafcadio becomes more civilized and rich and famous, however, he becomes more unhappy. In the end, to entertain the increasingly despondent star, the circus man takes Lafcadio hunting in Africa where he encounters his old lion friends on the other end of his gun. Is Lafcadio now a man or is he a lion? He decides he is neither and wanders alone into the valley. In typical Silverstein style, this exuberantly-silly-yet-poignant fable, illustrated with simple, expressive line drawings, asks more questions than it answers. The glee the author derives from wordplay and the sound of language is positively contagious. This read-aloud classic belongs on every child's bookshelf. (Ages 6 to 10) --Karin Snelson

Product Description
"You don't have to shoot me," says the young lion. "I will be your rug and I will lie in front of your fireplace and I won't move a muscle and you can sit on me and toast all the marshmallows you want. I love marshmallows."

But the hunter will not listen to reason, so what is there for a young lion to do? After eating up the hunter, Lafcadio takes the gun home and practices and practices until he becomes the world's greatest sharp-shooter.

Now dressed in starched collars and fancy suits, and enjoying all the marshmallows he wants, Lafcadio is pampered and admired wherever he goes. But is a famous, successful, and admired lion a happy lion? Or is he a lion at all?

Told and drawn with wit and gusto, Shel Silverstein's modern fable speaks not only to children but to us all! 

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 40 Anv edition (January 6, 1963)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060256753
• ISBN-13: 978-0060256753
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #32,860 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #7 in	Books > Children's Books > Animals > Lions, Tigers & Leopards > Fiction
  #12 in	Books > Children's Books > Literature > Poetry > Silverstein, Shel
  #12 in	Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( S ) > Silverstein, Shel

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A special read for all ages, March 13, 2000

By	Eric Brotheridge (Indianapolis, IN USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was exposed to this book by a 3rd grader who loved it and was reading it for the umpteenth time. I read it with my daughters, ages 4 and 6, who also loved it. I loved it too! The story is timeless and can be read at many, many levels. The pictures throughout are wonderful, depicting Lafcadio in the absurdly funny scenarios told in the story; enough pictures to hold the interest of a young one with a challenging story for those older.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wow!, May 7, 2005

By	Kendra - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

I hadn't heard of this book until a few years ago, when I came upon it and read a few pages in the bookstore. WOW!!! Although I appreciate Shel Silverstein's other stories and poems, nothing at all is like this one. And, that's a disappointment, because after reading this one to my children, we wanted MORE.

In my kids' schools, the Giving Tree was always considered such a classic, and praised as such. Lafcadio? Never mentioned! How disappointing, and oh, what those students are missing. Lafcadio isn't even in the school's library catalogue!

Lafcadio tells the story of a lion who comes to the city and becomes a gentleman--losing his lionly ways. But, Shel Silverstein tells this story so hilariously, I can barely read it aloud without laughing hysterically. I used to read this to my son, and literally could not get the words out without laughing uncontrollably. This, of course, caused my son to laugh as heartily without even knowing why. . . begging me to stop laughing and to tell him what was so funny. Lafcadio is an experience, that's for sure!

That said, this isn't a completely gentle book. It's probably the only book I've read to the kids that talked about eating people--and, made eating people funny. However, the unexpected quirkiness of the story is also what made it so hilarious. This is really a classic. Your kids will love it and you will love it.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Six Stars!!!, April 23, 2001

By	"intentaccess" (Boca Raton, Florida USA) - See all my reviews

This is an exceptional book for all ages. Silversteins wonderful illustrations and humor are throughout this book. But the message is what makes this book so wonderful. It is a story about a lion but what this lion is dealing with child experience and grow up with this peer pressure and then the consequences we must pay for our action. This is a great book that everybody should read. Shel Silverstein has the most original way to get this message across and the humor with this book and how he describes " Uncle Shelby " is very insightful!