Review: When Your Lion Needs A Bath by Susanna Leonard Hill

WHEN YOUR LION NEEDS A BATH

by Susanna Leonard Hill

Illustrated by Daniel Wiseman

Little Simon

Board Book 

ages 2 to 4

26 pages

When your lion needs a bath, you have to be pretty sneaky! This charming and hilarious board book highlights the many ways to get your lion into that tub!

Does your lion need a bath? When your lion needs a bath, you must be a little sneaky. After all, have you ever met a cat who likes water? So gather up your towels and rubber ducks and get that lion into the tub! But be careful…or you just might end up in the bath, too!

MY TIDBITS

This book packs a ton of fun.

Your lion needs a bath. Yes, a full-fledged teeth-baring lion covered in dirt and twigs and more. Too bad the lion hates bathes, which means you have to get sneaky about it. The suggestions and advice are worth their weight in gold for all those lion owners out there.

The thick, sturdy pages make this a book for small hands and ready to encounter a few bumps, drops and smudges. The cover is bright and introduces the problem from the get-go. The lion needs a bath, and although he has the looks of a real lion, he's actually quite tame. Just water shy. The antics are smile and giggle worthy as suggestions are given on how to get that lion into the tub. Words are kept at a minimum and playfully chosen, keeping the action and humor high.

Bright colors make up the simple illustrations, which still hold enough detail to have young eyes coming back again and again. The pictures accompany the words while also adding the right punch to the tale.

In other words, this is a fun read great for young listeners. . .and they'll be more than capable of bathing their own lion after reading this. Maybe.




Susanna Leonard Hill is the award-winning author of nearly a dozen books for children, including Punxsutawney Phyllis (A Booklist Children's pick and Amelia bloomer Project choice); No Sword Fighting in the House (a Junior Library Guild selection): Can't Sleep Without Sheep ( a Children's Book of the Month); and Not Yet, Rose (a Gold Mom's Choice Award winner). She lives in New York's Mid-Hudson Valley with her husband, children and two rescue dogs. She loves chocolate animals and being outdoors.


Daniel Wiseman likes to draw. A lot. He likes it so much, he's made a career out of it. Usually, he draws animals wearing clothes, or kids enjoying a good dance party. Daniel currently lives in St. Louis, Missouri, with his wife and son. When he isn't drawing, he can usually be found perfecting his biscuit recipe, hiking up a mountain in some faraway location, singing loudly in his car, riding his bike on the mean streets of STL, or napping.

Review: When Your Elephant Has The Sniffles by Susanna Leonard Hill

WHEN YOUR ELEPHANT HAS THE SNIFFLES

By Susanna Leonard Hill

Illustrated by Daniel Wiseman

Little Simon

Board Book

ages 2 to 4

26 pages

When your elephant has the sniffles, you better make sure he doesn’t sneeze! This charming and hilarious board book highlights the many ways to make an under-the-weather elephant feel better!

Does your elephant have the sniffles? Make sure to take good care of him because you don’t want him to start sneezing. Gather up your tissues and your pillows and make that elephant feel better! But don’t get too close…or you just might end up with the sniffles, too! 

MY TIDBITS

Sniffles are never a positive thing, especially when they strike your elephant. This tiny story brings tissue loads of giggles and a couple words of good advice--not only for elephant owners.

Your elephant has a cold, which is never pleasant, but there is one thing that you need to avoid at all costs--him sneezing. And this exactly tells you how to avoid such a catastrophe.

This is a cute, little board book, perfect for pudgy, small hands. It's robust, has thick pages and guarantees hours of reading even after being thrown around a few times. The cover caught my eye right away, and I wanted to hug that elephant before the story even begins. He's a friendly enough elephant and follows every word of advice the little girl in the story gives him. Young listeners will easily set themselves into both the elephant's and the girl's position and be engrossed in the simple but very familiar situation.

The illustrations are colorful, bubbly and hold enough detail to keep little eyes coming back time and again for another glance. Even when someone isn't around to help read-aloud, the story still comes to life in the pictures.

This isn't only a cute tale but holds a few pieces of valuable information on what to do if you have a cold. Lots of bed rest, warmth and love are vital for anyone to get healthy again. Mix this with the subtle amount of funny tension lurking in the background--what if the elephant really sneezes?--and this is a wonderful read for kids ages 2 and up.


Susanna Leonard Hill is the award-winning author of nearly a dozen books for children, including Punxsutawney Phyllis (A Booklist Children's pick and Amelia bloomer Project choice); No Sword Fighting in the House (a Junior Library Guild selection): Can't Sleep Without Sheep ( a Children's Book of the Month); and Not Yet, Rose (a Gold Mom's Choice Award winner). She lives in New York's Mid-Hudson Valley with her husband, children and two rescue dogs. She loves chocolate animals and being outdoors.


Daniel Wiseman likes to draw. A lot. He likes it so much, he's made a career out of it. Usually, he draws animals wearing clothes, or kids enjoying a good dance party. Daniel currently lives in St. Louis, Missouri, with his wife and son. When he isn't drawing, he can usually be found perfecting his biscuit recipe, hiking up a mountain in some faraway location, singing loudly in his car, riding his bike on the mean streets of STL, or napping.