Thursday, December 17, 2020

Review - How to Hide a Lion at Christmas

How to Hide a Lion at Christmas
(How to Hide a Lion #4)
by Helen Stephens
Date: 2018
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: library

A charming holiday picture book about a girl, her pet lion, and a Christmas adventure.

Iris and her lion go everywhere together. But when Christmas comes and the family is going away, Mum says the lion must stay behind. After all, you can't take a lion on a train. Luckily the lion has other ideas. He sets off on a festive, snowy adventure to find Iris--and almost bumps into Santa Claus!

Helen Stephens's How to Hide a Lion at Christmas will warm young readers' hearts with its colorful illustrations and funny text depicting a sweet friendship.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is a bit of a strange book, but it's still entertaining. A little girl named Iris wants to take her lion when her family goes to visit a relative at Christmas. But her parents say she can't. The lion stows away on the train to be with his friend... but he falls asleep and misses his stop. He must find a way back to Iris. Along the way, he encounters Santa Claus.

I haven't read any of the other books about Iris and her lion. At first, I wasn't sure whether this was supposed to be literal. But the fact that Iris has a lion toy suggests to me that the lion is imaginary, which makes the story even more charming.

Kids will probably enjoy the funny storyline about the lion getting lost, finding his way back, and meeting Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. It's an entertaining story for those who are looking for more strong holiday picture books.

Quotable moment:


Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 3.5 out of 5

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