Review by Booklist Review
When it comes time for Papa Lion to let his little lion catch a gazelle on his own, the little lion makes one mistake after another. His first is thinking that catching a gazelle will be easy. When he tries and fails, the little lion thinks that all he has to do is be faster. When that fails, he tries one idea after another, only to fail each time. He even asks for advice from his elephant auntie, who tells him to ask the gazelle nicely if he can catch her. Nothing works, and the other gazelles make fun of him. The task seems impossible, so the little lion disappears. When the gazelle goes looking for him, she makes the biggest mistake of all. In a gratifying twist, no one is harmed in the end, but the clear message of learning from one's mistakes comes through loud and clear. Pintonato's minimal text is cheerfully complemented by silly and playful thick-lined artwork, which contains the bold, bright colors of the savanna.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
When Papa Lion decrees, "It's time for you to catch a gazelle on your own," his earnest little yellow cub readily accepts the challenge. But the cub's "mistakes"--the various ways he underestimates what it will take to catch the fleet-footed prey--keep adding up. In minimally detailed vignettes, rendered in thick outlines and uniform fill-in color, the cub can't outrun the gazelle or outsmart her (despite drawing a "cunning scheme" involving a camouflaged hole). And following an elephant auntie's suggestion--asking "Can you let me catch you, PLEASE?"--gets him nowhere. The "Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner" vibe is strong in this one, albeit minus the bodily harm (the only injury is to the cub's budding ego, especially when other gazelles gather to watch the fun). But when the cub seems to throw in the towel, it turns out that the biggest mistake isn't his, before Pintonato (Detective Mole) reveals one more trick, silly and reassuring, up her narrative sleeve. Bibo's translation strikes an arch, accessible tone, and playful typography helps those reading aloud hit all the comic beats. Ages 3--7. (Aug.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Is this little lion ready for his first hunt? In this idealized version of life on the savanna, a young lion cub is told by his father that it's time to catch his first gazelle. After finding his target, the lion tries leaping, then running, next scheming, and asking politely, as well as various other strategies. Nothing seems to work! Warm, simplified pictures of the lion and gazelle are full of action and gentle humor, while clear, minimal text describes the action. The tale comes to a head when the little lion fails yet again and, realizing that the other gazelles are laughing at him, disappears. The gazelle is triumphant but soon grows bored and, after searching, gets a little too close to the lion, which allows him to catch…and release her, so she can take a turn and try to catch him. While not realistic--no bloodshed here--this cheeky Italian import effectively explores themes such as recovering from a mistake, resilience, motivation, and strategizing, and youngsters will appreciate the fun of the chase, the joy of solving a puzzle, and the satisfaction of finding a playmate. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A fast-paced savanna adventure embedded with solid social-emotional messaging. (Picture book. 2-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
