Roar!

This Sunday, August 10th, is World Lion Day, a day dedicated to celebrating and preserving the aptly-named but endangered King of Beasts.

In honor of lions and Leos everywhere, here are our favorite picture books about lions at the Montclair Library:

Chloe & the Lion by Mac Barnett and Adam Rex
Typically Barnettian hilarity ensues when Mac, the author, fires Adam, the illustrator, over their artistic differences about Chloe, the main character of their book.

Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen
A lion starts visiting the local library but runs into trouble when he tries both to obey the rules and help his librarian friend.

The Lion and the Little Red Bird by Elisa Kleven
A little bird discovers why the lion’s tail changes color each day.

If I Were a Lion by Sarah Weeks
A little girl pleads her innocence from her time-out chair by contrasting her behavior with that of wild and ferocious animals.

Enchanted Lions by David T. Greenberg
One evening, Rose climbs on the back of an enchanted lion who takes her on a tour of outer space.

How to Hide a Lion by Helen Stephens
Iris understands that grown-ups are afraid of lions, but when she finds one in her playhouse she knows he is kind so she keeps him hidden from her parents for as long as possible.

Deep in the Jungle by Dan Yaccarino
After being tricked into joining the circus, an arrogant lion escapes and returns to the jungle where he lives peacefully with the animals he used to terrorize.

The Lion & the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney (J 398.2 PINKNEY)
In this beautifully illustrated, wordless retelling of Aesop’s fable, a mouse proves that even small creatures are capable of great deeds when she rescues the King of the Jungle.

Snuggle Up, Sleepy Ones by Claire Freedman
As night falls in the jungle, all sorts of animals settle down to sleep.

The Happy Lion by Louise Fatio
When the door to his house at the zoo is left open a lion decides to visit his friends, but he quickly learns that people are not nearly as polite or friendly in town as when they visit him at the zoo. (See also The Happy Lion Roars.)

Willoughby & the Lion by Greg Foley
When Willoughby moves to a new house far away from his friends, he meets an enchanted lion who shows him what is truly important in life.

Andy and the Lion by James Daugherty
In this retelling of Androcles and the Lion, Andy meets a lion on the way to school and wins his friendship for life by removing a thorn from his paw.

Photo: New York Public Library lion by Robert Hiscock via Flickr