We're Going on a Lion Hunt [Hardcover]

David Axtell (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 2 and up

This charming version of a well-known chant takes place on the African savanna.

We're going on a lion hunt.
We're going to catch a big one.
We're not scared.
Been there before.

In this beautifully illustrated rendition of a well-known children's chant, two sisters are looking not for a bear, but for a lion-a lion that lives on the African savanna, where the girls go through swishy swashy long grass, a splishy splashy lake, and a Big Dark Cave. When they finally meet their lion, they have to run, run, run through it all again to get back home.

Young readers will enjoy the playful language and beautiful paintings that reset a familiar story in an unusual and very special part of the world.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Axtell takes a storytime classic to the African savanna, where loving sisters enjoy a day's adventure. With fruit, juice, and teddy bear in hand, they travel through towering green grasses under the watchful eye of a giraffe, swim through a dappled blue lake with zebras and a flamingo, and pull each other through a squishy swamp unbeknownst to a hippopotamus. They wake the lion sleeping in his cave, and as he follows them, they arrive home and shut the door safely. The adventure has neither dampened their spirits nor muddied their white anklets. Axtell's sun-soaked, impressionistic oil paintings offer beautiful landscapes and engaging details, from wild animals who linger at a safe distance, to a dropped teddy that is retrieved just in time. Large figures on the page make this a good choice for storytimes as well as lap times. Like Michael Rosen's We're Going on a Bear Hunt (McElderry, 1989), this lovely picture book will delight preschoolers.
Laura Scott, Baldwin Public Library, Birmingham, MI
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

A favorite summer camp chant gets a refreshing new life when two contemporary African sisters set out on an animal hunt. This time, though, they're after a lion, not a bear, and the landscape is a wide-open savanna rich with animal life. All the familiar appeal of the original is here. Each page begins with the same phrase, "We're going on a lion hunt. We're going to catch a big one. We're not scared. Been there before. Oh, no. . . ." The infectious repetition gives way to new obstacles to navigate--long grass, a lake, a swamp--before the lion is found and the girls retrace their tracks (lion in pursuit) and find home. In vivid pastels, Axtell paints the girls and animals running side by side, drawing the reader into the wild fantasy and gleeful terror of the game, as well as the delight the sisters find in each other. With its musical, easily remembered text and full-page illustrations, this will be a perennial story-hour hit. Gillian Engberg

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); 1st edition (May 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805061592
• ISBN-13: 978-0805061598
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.7 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 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: #1,276,111 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Childrens Book, May 16, 2000

By 

Gerry Beathard - See all my reviews

This review is from: We're Going on a Lion Hunt (Hardcover)

Beautiful illustrations and very catchy wording will keep your children involved. Great Book.