Lovely Old Lion

Reviewed by: Michelle Brenner - Casco Public Library, Casco, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: April 10, 2016

Review

Lovely Old Lion is a lovely story about the relationship between King Lion and his grandson Lenny as King Lion shows signs of dementia. Grandpa forgets the rules of the board game, can't remember what a soccer ball is and seems to have thrown his crown away in the trash. Lenny also notices that his grandpa used to look "proud and kingly" and now he looks "worried and tired". When Grandma says Grandpa's not himself today, Lenny thinks "King Lion is still Grandpa!". He defends his beloved grandfather to his friends when he sings the same song over and over. When Grandpa's friends explain to Lenny that the King's brain isn't working as well as it did, the cub is determined to do something to help. By prompting his Grandpa to remember events about his past, Lenny is able to spend happy moments with King Lion even if it doesn't stop his brain from "wearing out". The story deals sensitively with the issue of dementia and the importance of intergenerational relationships. It even shows that encouraging the person to tell stories from the past can be a way to connect. The soft-colored illustrations nicely complement with story with good white space behind text. This would be a nice story for parents and librarians to share with children to gently explain dementia without delving into the issue of death.

Overall Book Score: excellent