Lion

by William Pène du Bois

The artist foreman at the animal factory in the sky has trouble creating a pleasing lion

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals

38 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1956

About the author

William Pène du Bois was an American writer and illustrator of books for young readers. He is best known for The Twenty-One Balloons, published in April 1947 by Viking Press, for which he won the 1948 Newbery Medal. As illustrator he was twice a runner-up for the Caldecott Medal.

The Twenty-One Balloons is the work by Pène du Bois that WorldCat reports most widely held in participating libraries, by a wide margin. His other most widely held works are five books written by others, which he illustrated (below), and the two Caldecott Honor picture books, which he also wrote.

From 1953 to 1960, Pène du Bois was art editor of The Paris Review, working alongside founder and editor George Plimpton.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful drawings of this heavenly looking workshop. It looks like pen or pencil drawings. They use color sparingly, but this would be so beautiful if in full color. When there is color, it is dazzling.

The story is about the group of beings who make up animals for the worlds in the universe. One angel looking being is working on the Lion. He knows it’s a good concept, but he needs his co-workers input and advice to refine it.

I like the concept that sometimes, we need input from others to help refine something, to make that something better with a clearer vision.

The niece thought this was a cute story. She liked all the variations the drawing went through to get Lion. She gave it 4 stars. The nephew asked about choices they made. Why make the alligator so mean and so on. He thought it was a good story and he would make animals more like robots and he had some interesting ideas on new animals, let me tell you. He gave this 4 stars too.

[Antoine · Rating 5 out of 5]

"This is a lion. Lion says "PEEP PEEP."

This is a ridiculously wonderful story about what happens when middle management gets creative. Artist Foreman is an angelic being who is in charge of the artists in the Drawing Room of the Animal Factory. These design animals which are then "flown to the planets of the universe" after approval by the Chief Designer. Foreman, a former wunderkind, won a medal for designing "worm" while still in infancy, but now that he is in charge, he no longer draws much. Getting an idea for an animal called "Lion" he finds that his initial design is deeply flawed, and only with a lot of help from his subordinates (and a little from his boss) can he get Lion right.

Reading this book aloud is a treat; it has just the right amount of repetition to keep a kind of rhythm going, and the joy of having lion say PEEP PEEP has to be experienced, and kids love it. The characters are angels and the setting heavenly, but the book is more of a fable than anything else; it has no spritual agenda at all. The words "god" and "angel" are never even used.

If you get the chance to Google the art from this book, do so. The lion himself in his original form is a sight to behold.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best kid's book ever on the artist's process. Peep, peep!

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny, magical fable; if you like Du Bois you'll probably like this. Some of his works don't hold up as well as this does, and, imo, this should be brought back into print. Reminds me of the Caldecott winner Sector 7 but in this book both pictures and words have plenty to say.

Artist Foreman didn't actually wind up doing a lot of designing himself, by the time he got around to asking so many of his giggling colleagues "Tell me in one word what is wrong with the lion." They fixed size, color, legs, and more, and finally the Chief Designer (not pictured!) Socratically revealed that "Peep, peep" wasn't the best voice before sending this new creature to Earth....

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another fabulous old-school book. It is an imagining of how animals are created (i.e. in an animal factory in the clouds with buildings of feathers and fur and scaled roofs). They are drawn by working angels (who carry lunch pails). This story, not surprisingly, is about the ups and downs that led to the creation of the lion. An interesting sidebar; an abbreviated version of this story was originally printed in Life magazine. I didn't even know they did things like that. But I do wish that our modern media spent more time celebrating success in all fields and less time on sensationalism.

[Maria Rowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

• 1957 Caldecott Honor Book •

Excellent book! I really enjoyed this, and surprised it was hard to find. It’s the story of how these angelic beings think of new animals and when they’re right they are sent down to earth. Just really cute and fun to read. I couldn’t help wondering if this was a nod towards evolution? This was only about 32 years after the Scopes Trial. An angel creates a lion but keeps changing it because it isn’t quite right. I like the idea of an animal factory where new animals are thought up - this could be such a fun pairing with an art exercise for children to make up an animal.

Materials used: unlisted
Typeface used: unlisted

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

This imaginative story tells of how an angel comes to create the animal we know as the lion. The story is clever and the illustrations are colorful and silly. Not many of these older picture books have struck me as very story-time friendly, but this one could almost work with an older group of kids, or with the aid of a flannel board. I really like this unique approach to the idea of creation, and I especially enjoyed that the angel wants the lion to say “peep” instead of “roar.”

[LibraryGryffon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read this in years, but I did back in elementary school and fell in love with it. I'm giving it five stars as it's stuck with me all these years.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will admit that I actually found a copy of this book awhile back at a library booksale, but it looked kind of boring, so I didn’t buy it. But as I am at the end of this Caldecott Challenge, I need to read the last twenty books and this is one of them. It won a 1957 Caldecott Honor award, and actually isn’t as bad as I originally thought, rather it’s kind of a cute concept. Angels are in charge of creating new creatures on earth and the Foreman is in charge of these Drawing Angels. Only he hasn’t actually drawn anything in years. So he decides to create a creature called a Lion, which has four thin legs, a mane and face covered in feathers, a body covered with fluffy fur and a tale with fish scales on the end. Only he doesn’t feel that it is quite right, so he asks other angels’ opinions and corrects it until he feels it is right. His finished drawing has four sturdy legs, smooth fur and a puffy mane, what we think of when we think of a lion. The cute thing is that he thinks the lion should say “Peep Peep”, until he shows the Creator his drawing, and he says the lion should say “Roar!” instead. Recommended for ages 3-6, 3 stars.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is very wacky book, but from an illustration point, it is fantastic. The story is one of the strangest of all the #nerdcott, but the transformation of the Lion is a lot of fun. The colors are fantastic, and some of the early line illustrations in the book are very reminiscent of Seven Simeons: A Russian Tale, which is one of my favorites. I really love all the books I have read from William Pene du Bois, including this one.

[AS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this again thanks to the wonderful Goodreads discussion group "What's the name of that book???"

A fond memory of mine from my childhood is getting this book at the library with my dad and enjoying it together. Rereading it now, I can see all the more why he liked it so well. My dad was an artist and very science-minded, so this story about artists designing new animals was right up his alley : )

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

Taking place in what looks like a cross between heaven and Santa's North Pole facilities, artist angels are hard at work on inventing animals for creation, with the main storyline being about the invention of the lion. All the permutation the artist goes through before ending with the animal we now know as the lion are amusing, but I found the book tedious and not very engaging.

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would probably give this one and a half stars. A good picture book, with a flowing style and interesting concept. Short, and nicely performed by the Newbery Medal-winning author.

[Mckinley · Rating 2 out of 5]

What would a lion look like before it was created?
Caldecott honor

[Lafcadio · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book grew on me as I read it. I was unsure at first how heavy-handed the creationism was going to be, but it was okay.

[Brindi Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

1957 Caldecott Honor

what a creative story!

[Melissa Namba · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had the potential to be a cute children's story, but the religious undertones were so overt that it was not a cute children's story. It felt more like indoctrination. So this book will be fine for religious children.

[Jessica Marquis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dreamy story about an angel-run animal factory “high up in the sky, way above the clouds, long long ago.” Standout illustrations.

I love finding books like this that I know will set my daughter’s imagination soaring!

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this story which talked about the origin of the Lion. I liked the pictures and how the animal evolved with characteristics of different animals. That part of the story was humorous.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

An angel who comes up with new animals thinks of the name "lion" and tries to draw an animal worthy of the title. This is a nice story with beautiful illustrations.

[Kirsten Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Caldecott Honor book - 1957

Art medium used - Pen and India Ink, Dinobase with Lithographic Pencil

[MaryAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Angels invent animals through their drawings. This is the story of the invention of the lion. Cute story and illustrations. Caldecott Honor Book.

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sharp departure from WPDB's usual artistry and style, but I rather liked how oddball and endearing it was. An angel(?) sort makes a lion, lovingly and laboriously.

[Lorna]

1957 Caldecott Honor

Favorite line: Long, long ago, high up in the sky, way above the clouds, there was a white and silver palace.

Favorite illustration: The final, golden iteration of the lion.

Thoughts: I found this one to be very odd. Angels are creating the animals, and as aritsans they go through many iterations to get the lion and its features "just right'. Some of the pictures were pretty bizarre.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think it would be fair to say I don't like this author. I felt this book was as absurd as the twenty-one balloons. A foreman oversees other artists who make up animals, and he decides he wants to make one called a lion. He makes it small with feathers, fur, scales, and bright colors, and then he asks other artists to tell him in one word what is wrong with the lion. I didn't care for the artwork or the story.

[Amar Pai · Rating 3 out of 5]

The text of this story dragged on and on. It was way too verbose. I liked the story itself though, mainly because it's a vehicle for wacky illustrations of messed up lions.

Asha likes lions so she likes this book

todo: up some pictures from the book