There's a Lion on the Loose in the Library!

The mascot of both my elementary school and college was a lion, and as both a youngster and a studious collegian, I spent a good bit of time in the library. Thus, it wouldn't be a huge stretch to call me a library lion. But I wouldn't be nearly as cuddly and eye-catching as the subject of Michelle Knudsen's Library Lion, recommended to me by fellow library lover Beth.

That lion looks pretty much how you would expect a lion to look, with big paws, a luxurious mane and sharp teeth that gleam when he opens his mouth for a mighty roar. Oh, this lion roars beautifully - loudly enough to startle anyone within a mile of the sedate library he frequents. But it isn't something that happens often because the lion learns on his first trip to the library that it is a quiet place and that such monstrous noises are frowned upon.

It's strange to think of a lion just randomly wandering into a library, and there's no explanation of where he came from. A circus? A zoo? Some guy's apartment? Or did he make the long trip from Africa with nothing but his charm to get him from place to place? We don't really know, but because he is so charming, it's easy to embrace him. He acts very much like a lion - never speaking, wearing clothes or walking on his hind paws, for instance - and even the anthropomorphic aspects of his character, such as his performance of useful tasks for strict but kindly librarian Miss Merriweather, are leonine. He dusts off shelves with his tail; he licks envelopes with his giant tongue; he allows children to ride on his back as they search for books on high shelves.

Though he is the main character, he is only referred to as "the lion". Since he can't speak, there is no one around to indicate what his name is, and I guess none of the library patrons took it upon themselves to assign him a new name. The only named characters are Miss Merriweather, a petite woman with tiny spectacles perched on her nose and her hair pulled up into a bun, and Mr. McBee, who also wears glasses and looks rather nerdy with his assortment of bowties. You might call him Miss Merriweather's deputy, and I like to imagine him with Don Knott's voice, especially as he goes hollering after the librarian to tattle on the lion. Mr. McBee is a long-time employee and a stickler for the rules, so he doesn't particularly approve of the lion's presence; in fact, he's a bit jealous of all the attention the big furry fellow has been getting.

To Mr. McBee's vexation, the lion is perfectly well-behaved following his first instance of rule-breaking, which was quickly forgiven, so he has to keep putting up with this unusual visitor, until one day the lion does break the rules, right in front of Mr. McBee - but for a very good reason. Is it reason enough for him to be allowed back in the library?

The story is well-written and entertaining, but it's the illustrations by Kevin Hawkes that are really attention-grabbing. Done in acrylic and pencil, they have a soft look about them, perfectly evoking the comforting feeling a library should bring. We get a good sense of prim Miss Merriweather, agitated Mr. McBee and the startled, curly-haired story lady through these pictures, but the lion is really the star of the show. We see the lion sniffing the card catalog, the old faithful system I relied upon throughout most of my school years, only to have it discarded in favor of new computer cataloging; rubbing his head contentedly against a bookshelf; flopping down for a nap right in the middle of the story corner with a bean bag for a pillow; hanging his head in shame after he breaks the rules by letting out an enormous roar; holding a basket of storybooks in his mouth; gazing in concern at his beloved librarian when she takes a tumble. He's there on nearly every page, looking incredibly warm and huggable - except in one illustration, in which he looks very cold, very wet and very miserable as he stares through the rain at his reflection in the library door, his mane plastered against his fur.

For lovers of libraries, lions or both, this is a wonderfully cozy book. I wish one of the libraries I visited as a child had been frequented by a lion - but only one as sweet and lovable as the title character in Library Lion!