There's a Lion in the Forest!

by Monica Carnesi

Everyone knows there are no lions in the forests of South America . . . or are there?

Toucan heard it first. It was deep. It was growly. It was a deep, growly growl.
And that can mean only one thing: THERE'S A LION IN THE FOREST!
But how can that be? Everyone knows that lions don't live in tropical forests. But the growls keep coming--and now even Capybara and Coati are anxious, especially when they get a glimpse through the trees of a long, terrifying tail and a thick, menacing mane . . .
With a rhythmic text that begs to be read aloud, Monica Carnesi's clever tale illustrates the importance of not rushing to conclusions. Young readers will get a kick out of sleuthing along with the forest animals as they try to get to the bottom of this sweetly suspenseful mystery.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Storytime, Childrens, Humor, Nature, Juvenile

32 pages, Hardcover

Published February 22, 2022

Reviews

[Nessa]

Funny cute picture book about the animals in South American forest hearing a lion! Is it truly a lion that they think it is? Or can it be a Golden lion tamarins! dun dun duuunnn!!!

[Kirsten Murphy]

Great surprise ending!
Includes informational back matter

[Kim Brosan]

When Toucan hears growling in the forest, he sets off to warn all of his rainforest friends that "There's a lion in the forest!" Other animals remind him that there are no lions in Brazil, but when they hear the roars, they become less sure.

There is information at the end of the book about the animals of the Atlantic Forest in South America, including the Golden Lion Tamarinds who are considered an endangered species.

[Amy Goldstein]

I love a book that successfully marries a well told fiction story with relevant, interesting facts. The animals in the Amazon rain forest think they hear a lion. But could it really be? Do lions live in the rain forest? A great lesson about animals and where they live. An introduction to animals that live in South America. Would pair nicely with Except Antarctica for a lesson about continents and geography.

[Sheri]

A version of the "chicken little" theme in a story taking place in the Amazon rain forest of South America. A good number of animals represented that do live in the tropical rainforest of Brazil and surrounding areas. Read this fun book to discover South American rainforest animals and see who the real lion is in that ecosystem.

[Christine Hwang]

Very adorable and accurate book. The facts are skillfully woven throughout the story, and it has a glossary in the back of the book about all of the animals. I love that the author has a capybara as a character. I think I saw one when an educational animal organization came to do a program for kids at the library. A fun and funny story!

[Gabrielle Stoller]

I guarantee you the biggest takeaway from this book was learning the capybaras eat their own poop.

Because poop. And storytime kiddos. It's a thing.

But fun to see how noises and colors can mean different things.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Leova Manbhat]

Love that it features animals native to the amazon rainforest.

[Angelika]

Introduces the animals of the Atlantic Forest of South America. Great story!

[Sarah Threlkeld]

Love the exuberant voice, the line repetition and the ending.

[Melissa]

3.5

[Kristin]

A fun story about finding the lion in all of us. There's a growling noise in the jungle, and the animals think it's a lion, but there are no lions in South America... or are there?

[Jj]

Thanks to Penguin Young Readers for the review copy.

[Andrea]

You can tell a librarian wrote this - it will make a wonderful storytime book. Rhythmic text, predictability, humor, invites participation.

[Melissa]

You can have fun guessing what the next animal will be. Then learn some facts about the animals that were represented.

[Kelly]

I adore this book! As an animal lover, this book had me chuckling and the illustrations are adorable. Highly recommend for school and home classrooms.

[Miss Sarah]

several animals in the South American forest hear an unknown animal and think it's a lion. preschool and up

[DiAnne Warfield]

Holt-Delhi library PJ story time 07-26-2023

[Sarah]

I liked this book, but it really didn't go over well with either of my storytime groups. It was OK, but the kids just really didn't get the ending, the connection to the name of the monkey.

[noushareads]

Obrigada por escrever esse livro :)

[Kayla Edwards]

Cute read aloud about not making assumptions - while also educating kiddos on different animals.

[Nicole]

Cute & quick!

[Omnia Ali]

interactive, nice length. nice pictures, kids liked it. good story overall

[Marsha]

Flossie and the Fox meets Chicken Little as a bunch of animals tries to figure out if the king of the beasts is truly among them.

It’s a wild and woolly tale as the South American creatures first deny and then believe the notion of a lion misplaced in a tropical forest. The mystery gets compounded as each animal patiently points out the factual details of a lion and its natural habitat but are convinced by partial glimpses and unidentifiable noises.

The back of the book contains snippets of information about the various creatures encountered within its pages. So this is a cute story that’s educational as well. The illustrations aren’t quite to my taste but they hue close to the actual animals without too much exaggeration.

[frogfairie]

Super-cute and informative

[Miss Janis the Storytime Lady]

young group. Good book, but unfamiliar animals.