Leonardo the Lion Cub (Gilda the Giraffe) [Library Binding]

Lucie Papineau (Author), Michael Dahl (Author), Marisol Sarrazin (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreS–Two titles that lack internal logic and contradict the factual information included in the back matter. Sarrazins brightly colored illustrations are mildly appealing with lovely backgrounds, but the soft-focus animals are overly cute with a greeting-card style about them. In Leonardo, the lion cub has an ocean adventure with Turnip the turtle. He meets a number of real animals, yet has no problem swimming underwater or reaching the ocean. In Lucky, the young leopard is an orphan looking for a family and a home. His friend, Zander the zebra, takes him to meet a variety of animals, including rabbits, a kangaroo, and some birds, and ultimately the cub realizes that the zebra is the one who truly loves him and should be his family. The ending is abrupt and the fact that these books seek to impart information about the animals is severely problematic. Both stories are slight at best and somewhat didactic. The writing is cloying and pedestrian, and lacks transition. Good stories involving the sea abound, and for a title about finding a family, go with Keiko Kaszas A Mother for Choco (Putnam, 1992).–Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Lucie Papineau is a Capstone Press author.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: Picture Window Books (August 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1404812946
• ISBN-13: 978-1404812949
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 10.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,600,830 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael Dahl is the author of more than 200 books for children and young adults. His nonfiction has won the AEP Distinguished Achievement Award three times. His Finnegan Zwake mystery series published by Simon & Schuster won rave reviews and two of its titles were shortlisted for the Edgar and the Anthony Mystery Awards. He has written The Everything Kid's Joke Book as well as Gotcha Covered! (with Kathleen Baxter from School Library Journal) on nonfiction books that get kids excited about reading. Dahl is the Editorial Director for Stone Arch Books based in Minneapolis, where his books have won national design awards and been selected by the Junior Library Guild. His fantasy series, The Library of Doom, is the most-read series by hi-lo readers across the country. He has spoken at numerous schools, libraries, bookstores, and conferences inn the US and UK, including ALA, AASL, Renaissance Learning, TLA and IRA. He lives in a haunted house.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Sweet story, Gorgeous Illustrations, March 1, 2005

By 

R. Williams (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Leonardo the Lion Cub (Adventures of Gilda the Giraffe and Friends) (Paperback)

This is a very high quality book. This illustrations in the book are simply gorgeous. The story is about a little lion that has so much fun exploring with his turtle friend that he doesn't realize that it has (uuh-ooh)gotten dark. The text is fun and upbeat and the pictures are among the very best that I have ever seen in children's books. The entire "friends of Gilda" series is fabulous. The books are also available in french on CD.