24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome, October 19, 2009
This review is from: Tawny Scrawny Lion (Little Golden Book) (Hardcover)
I can't believe some of the ludicrous reviews on here. One lady fusses because she's a vegetarian and the rabbits are depicted as putting fish in their stew; another person fusses because the lion is depicted as eating kangaroos, when lions are not native to Australia. So, let's see: Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, The Lion King, Charlotte's Web, Snow White, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Hansel and Gretel, and every other children's story ever invented, likewise should be fussed about, because all contain implausible claims and non-PC events. So dumb. The point of the story is how the little rabbit's sincerity and hospitality provokes a change in the predatory lion. It's not a David Attenborough documentary, okay?
Anyway, here's the story: When "The Tawny Scrawny Lion" opens, a lion is devouring the local animal population. Frightened, the local animals convince a young rabbit to approach the lion in hopes that the lion will eat the rabbit, and thus leave them alone for another day. However, as the lion prepares to pounce, the naive, cheery rabbit invites the lion to come home with him to eat dinner with him and all his siblings. Eager to eat them all, the lion agrees.
But as the day wears on, with the rabbit gathering herbs and fish for the carrot stew, they become friends. And once the lion gets to know the rabbit's family, he softens, and the story ends with the lion and rabbits all great friends. After that, the lion only wants to hang out with the rabbits and eat carrot stew. The rabbit family's sincere hospitality has won the lion over.
This is a wonderful little tale with striking illustrations. I read this book all the time as a kid, and I read it to my kids now all the time, and it just never gets old. In fact, I still find it touching everytime.
I hope this review helped someone.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bursting with Charm After Fifty Plus Years, October 31, 2006
This review is from: Tawny Scrawny Lion (Little Golden Book) (Hardcover)
I am sorry for those readers who seem to have missed the exuberant charm of this little book. Perhaps it is simply that it struck a cord for me five decades ago, and the nostalgia overtakes me from time to time. The truth is, I have never forgotten the wide-eyed lion and the clever little rabbits after all these years. And while the lion never becomes a true "vegetarian," I suspect that he would have had a sequel ever been written. For 1952, I think those rabbits did a darn good job of teaching the lion about sustainable food sources. Amazingly, my copy from childhood has survived. Unfotunately, the color in Tenggren's illustrations are more vivid in my 1950's copy than the ones I recently purchased from Amazon. (I have to fess-up, I purchased half-a-dozen to give as gifts to my "almost" vegetarian friends). Well, it may be a silly little book to some, but I believe that its message was way ahead of its time and it is bursting with charm. (I just wish that there had been a sequel!)
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An old favorite, November 13, 2005
This review is from: Tawny Scrawny Lion (Little Golden Book) (Hardcover)
This is one of the picture books I remember reading and loving as a child. The story is sweet and satisfying in its simplicity. The hungry lion stops chasing the other animals and starts eating carrot (& fish) stew when he is invited to the rabbits' house for dinner. I also love the bright illustrations.
Because of its length I hadn't expected to be able to share this story with my son until he was a bit older. One day my 6-month old noticed the book and reached for it. To my surprise he sat through the whole story! He kisses the pages and babbles happily as we read it. My only complaint is that I wish it were available as a board book: my copy is not going to last very long under his affectionate assaults!
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