Sun Flower Lion

A sun, a flower, and a lion. . . . Henkes creates an impeccably designed story that's rewarding for toddlers and early readers alike. . . . With imagination at its center, this participatory read-aloud also cleverly introduces the concept of simile and metaphor. . . . As brilliant as can be.

Simple words and repeating forms draw beginning readers into this iterative volume by Henkes (Summer Song). Its central visual element, a circle with a ruffled edge, could signify the sun, a flower, or a lion with a mane--and here, it's all three. Divided into six short chapters, the story's sentences relate the three objects to each other. First, readers meet the sun: "The sun is in the sky./ It is shining./ It is as bright as a flower." In chapter two, a ruffled circle appears with a stem and leaves; it's a bloom that "looks like a little lion." In chapter three, the motif forms the head of a stumpy feline ("He smells the flower./ He warms himself in the sun") who dreams, wakes, and runs home. Readers see the hill, but not the traveling lion ("Can you see him?/ No, you can't./ He is running too fast"). Yellow spreads convey warmth and light, while gray, hand-inked blades of grass cover the hill. Signlike artwork and straightforward text fit together as neatly as building blocks in this lighthearted reading exercise. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)

Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

PreS-K--A white circle with a scalloped yellow border--is it the sun? A flower? A lion? It's all three. Across six two-page chapters, readers are asked if they can see the Sun, Flower, and Lion--first by themselves and then added to a scene with one another: the flower looks like a little lion, the lion smells the flower, and warms himself in the sun. Chapter 4 deviates from pattern, entering a dream sequence (with the panels taking on scalloped edges reminiscent of the title items). In Chapter 5 the story returns to form, with a subversion; when readers are asked if they can see the lion, they cannot because "He is running too fast." Chapter 6 sees the contented lion sleeping at home with his family, and the text returns to the repetition of "Can you see him? Yes, you can." Skillful interconnections between the distinctive illustrations and the brief text make this title a great pick for beginning readers. A limited three-color palette and thick black outlines evoke the simplicity and two-dimensional quality of a child's drawing. The humor relies on playfulness among similar illustrations, while the deliberate use of few colors allow readers to recognize the repetition of the title shapes throughout, down to the final spread where the flower and sun peek into the corners of the scene of the little lion dozing with his family. VERDICT With a return to a distinct and limited color palette like that of Henkes's award-winning Kitten's First Full Moon, this is a must have for all collections, appropriate for both sharing out loud and for beginning readers.--Amanda Foulk, Sacramento P.L.

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.