The Lady and the Lion

Long, Laurel, & Ogburn, Jacqueline. (2003). The Lady and the lion. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers.

Appropriate for students in kindergarten to third grade.
Written and illustrated by Americans, this book is based on the Brothers Grimm tale called The Singing, Springing Lark, which actually combined the stories of Beauty and the Beast (French origin) and East of the Sun, West of the Moon (Norwegian origin). Despite all of these Western influences, the bright, deep colors of the oil paintings have an Eastern quality about them. As is the case with many fairy tales, the story claims no home origin and in fact, the protagonist finds herself traveling the world for over seven years.

Best Books:
Children’s Catalog, Nineteenth Edition, 2006
Publishers Weekly Book Review Stars, December 1, 2003

This book is a good read aloud. The oil paintings are beautiful and well matched to the story. It will keep young readers attention and spark their imaginations. This book could also be good in combination with the more well-known Disney version of Beauty and the Beast. Young students could get an early opportunity to find similarities and differences between one of their old favorites and a favorite from centuries ago.