A clear homage to Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are ("We ate him up. We loved him so"), this is the story of a little boy called Jim who wakes up one morning as a lion with a tremendous appetite. Jim devours his mother, several townspeople and shopkeepers, and a dog before running into the woods and encountering a bear, which intends to eat him. But Jim prevails, then retraces his route, spitting out everyone he's swallowed whole along the way. Jim's surprise at waking up as a lion, conflict with his growling stomach, and double consciousness - as a boy and a lion - makes for a darkly humorous and complex story, with warm-toned illustrations. ( )

dedicated to Maurice Sendak; ( )

With a twist of humor, the beastly nature comes out in all of its horribleness and breaks the normal mold of picture book material often seen today.

When Jim wakes up and hears his mother calling for breakfast, pancakes is the last thing he wants to eat. He feels beastly, and his stomach agrees. With a desire to devour far more than just a usual breakfast, Jim finds that no matter how much he tries to satisfy his beastly tummy, it demands more.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up this one, and I'll admit that it left me a little surprised. It wasn't because I didn't like the tale...it is a treat!...but it doesn't follow the sweet, innocent, heavy, lovely message norms of modern picture books. In other words, it breaks past a few barriers and might even offend some adults. And it's good so! For what 'beastly' attitude sticks with prim-and-proper? The message is a little hidden but doesn't take much to realize what's being said. It does open up for discussions on how to deal with those more terrible feelings we might have—if the caretaker would like to do this.

When Jim devours his mother before heading out of the door, it's clear he's having an inner battle. Young listeners will feel his struggle and still gasp and giggle as he eats one thing/person after the next. The illustrations are well done and flow right with the story. Jim comes across as sweet despite his horrible urges. The twist at the end holds a little tension and more than a little surprise. It's sure to grab young listeners attention and have them demanding to hear the tale again.

I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed it enough to want to leave my honest thoughts. ( )