There's a Lion in My Cornflakes

March 16, 2015
In this wry cautionary tale, Robinson (How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth) and Field introduce two brothers who make “a million trips to the supermarket” and spend a year’s allowance on cornflakes to collect 100 coupons from the cereal boxes. The prize they are sending away for: a free lion. They’re so keen on getting one that they don’t mind that their peeved mother makes them eat “nothing but cornflakes until they were all gone.” They do mind, though, when no lion arrives—and all the other kids in town are happily playing soccer, skateboarding, and picnicking with their lions. The cereal company, which has run out of lions, sends the two boys a bear, crocodile,
and gorilla, instead, and the resulting mayhem plays out hilariously in Field’s loopy digital illustrations. Unfolding through younger brother Eric’s don’t-make-the-same-mistake-I-did narration, the story proceeds leisurely, but the underlying message about the value of standing out from the crowd goes down easy thanks to all the over-the-top animal shenanigans. Ages 3–6.

March 15, 2015
An all-too-successful cereal promotion leads to surprises, some of them unpleasant, for two lads who send in coupons for a free lion.As the British import starts out on a cautionary path, makes an abrupt turnabout, and then ends with what could be construed (on this side of the pond, anyway) as trademark infringement, it's all rather a muddle. After urging readers to ignore cereal coupons, a young narrator describes how he and his brother spent a year's allowance on 100 boxes of Mr. Flaky cornflakes only to see all their neighbors getting their lions first. Worse yet, they finally receive (because the company had run out of lions) a bad-tempered grizzly bear, a cranky crocodile, and finally a destructive gorilla. But then said animals are suddenly, inexplicably transformed from annoyances to assets (the croc, for instance, obligingly bites open cans). Furthermore, lions aren't worth the trouble-"EVERYONE'S got one"- but check out the new prize offering: a genial, anthropomorphic tiger! Field's lackadaisical scenes of tidy suburban chaos, swarms of mostly well-behaved (male) lions, and human figures with exaggerated expressions of dismay or irritation do little to boost the comedy or clarify the message, if any. This bland addition to the "unusual pets" genre misses most of the comedic possibilities and ends up a long way from "grrrrreat." (Picture book. 5-7)

July 1, 2015

K-Gr 2-When a young boy with a Dennis the Menace haircut and huge round glasses sees that his cereal box offers a "free lion" if one saves 100 coupons, the game is on. The young boy and his brother Dan buy boxes and boxes of cornflakes to cut out the coupons, saving them to send in and get their own lion. The family eats cornflakes morning, noon, and night. After sending in their pile of collected coupons, the boys eagerly watch for their lion to arrive in the mail. All the other kids who had collected coupons already have their lions, but when the delivery truck finally arrives, the brothers get a bear instead. They exchange their unwanted bear and get a crocodile and so on, adding new creatures each time. Each arrival is more ridiculous than the last, and after all of their complaints to the cornflake company, they wind up with a lifetime supply of a cereal they dislike! Gack! The boys learn to appreciate all the things their unexpected prizes can do for them and eventually become happy with their menagerie. But then they get a box of cornflakes advertising a tiger if one collects 100 coupons. Hmmm. This is a delightfully silly book with terrific illustrations. The graphic for the lion coupons alone is a winner. Exaggerated cartoonlike pictures will make young readers laugh out loud. VERDICT A recommended selection for children's collections.-Mary Hazelton, formerly at Warren & Waldoboro Elementary Schools, ME

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