I was lucky to be gifted Guion the Lion from the author in exchange for an honest review. What a beautiful story to receive! This children’s book is filled with hope, wonder, endless possibilities, & vivid imagination. There is nothing better to share with your child during these scary times.
One glance at the cover & I knew my kids were going to be excited. My plan was to sit down & open the big, bright book together, but plans change when there are two toddlers running the show…
The morning after I opened the package, I glanced up to see Nora sitting in the middle of the floor with the book open wide on her lap (apparently she can reach the counter top now).
She looked up at me with big eyes & an even bigger grin. She had turned to the giant T-rex who was guarding her nest. Nora pointed excitedly & said ‘SAUR ‘SAUR!!! From that point on, it was hard to pry the book from her tiny fingers.
Kara loved it too once she got a turn. She gazed at the big, bright & colorful illustrations, pointing out every animal she recognized & asking about those she didn’t (they don’t necessarily make nursery rhymes about Bush babies.)
Finally mom got a chance to peek at the book. The girls cuddled up close when they saw what I had in my hands.
Guion is an imaginative & optimistic lion who’s best friend is quite the opposite. In hopes that he can lighten his friend’s mood, Guion guides her through a series of whimsical scenes involving mermaids, dinosaurs, castles, & erupting volcanoes. His weary friend remains unmoved by the normal views of hippos, ostrichs, giraffes, & dirt mounds.
It isn’t until this friend sees that Guion is disappointed, that she decides to change her perspective. She then returns the favor by inviting Guion to look deep into the sunset to surprisingly reveal a display of fireworks, circus tents & a giant ferris wheel, all bursting with color.
The last page reads “I can’t wait to see what tomorrow will bring…there is so much to see.”
Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at change.
Dr. Wayne Dyer
I enjoyed the dialogue of this children’s book because it gave me a break from sing-songy rhymes & overly short sentences. I had many opportunities to change voices & was proud to expand my girls’ vocabulary while doing so. The author had fun with words like fantabulous, landscape, passage, fantastical & savannah.
To top it all off, there are extra pages at the end of the story with fun things to do. You can involve the whole family in discussion or activities to practice seeing things from a different perspective.
I honestly have no complaints about the adorable story of Guion the Lion & his slew of African buddies. This book was large, bright and captivating. I’m sure my girls will wear it out with love.
