Posted on  20/08/2024 17:09:12

My rating: 5 winged stars!


One does not choose the path that in the end one treads

I fell in love with Janet Doolaege's mesmerising prose while reading The Road through the Woods a little while back. So I decided to try one of her children's books too. The Story of an Ordinary Lion was my choice and I wasn't disappointed!
This re-telling of the legend of St Jerome, told by the lion himself, is a fable meant for readers of all ages. And it was FABULOUS!!

Since I have also chosen it for one of the read-alouds I regularly do for children of all ages here in my place, I'm going to make this review a little special and include in it the thoughts and reactions of the children who listened to it - a group of 20 little adventurers between 6 and 14 years of age. :)

Leo is just an ordinary lion! And while he was spending his time in the desert, doing what all ordinary lions do, a thorn got stuck in his paw. And it hurt Leo very much! He couldn't hunt anymore because his wound started to fester, and he wondered how he will survive. But then an amazing flying lion appeared!
His Name was Leo Alatus, Winged Lion of St Mark.

Inside Illustration - Art ©Paolo Santoro

Now I know what you'll all think, because the children and I thought exactly the same. :D And our ordinary lion set the question into words: "But how can you be a lion? Lions don't have wings."

As it turns out however, Leo Alatus explains: "Absence of proof is not proof of absence. And your statement that no lions have wings is invalidated by the fact that standing here before you is one lion with wings."
I have to admit we had a cartload of questions here. What does that mean? What does it say? :) I asked the little ones to try and give themselves the answer. Because that's the best part in a read-aloud. Listen and learn and talk about it!

'Just because you think flying lions don't exist it doesn't mean they really don't exist! It's just that you don't know about it!' was one of the answers I got.
And just because you keep saying Santa doesn't exist doesn't mean he doesn't exist either! was another. Now try arguing with that. :D
But the answer I loved most came from a little older child: 'It means that when you cannot really prove that you are right, you should not keep saying you are right. cause you might be wrong you know.'

Back to the story once that was cleared up,
the winged Lion sent our poor wounded Leo to Father Jerome, who lived in a monastery nearby. Of course the brothers were all scared at seeing Leo enter the monastery! Anybody would be scared at seeing a lion come close! But Father Jerome was very kind and unafraid, he welcomed Leo and healed his paw.

Inside Illustration - Art ©Paolo Santoro

Now here was the part where the reactions were mixed. Some of my braver adventures were wishing to also be able to pet a lion that way, while others firmly stated they would run for their lives the instant they saw him. :) But every single one of them was in awe of Father Jerome's kindness and courage!

Leo likes it in the monastery and grows very fond of father Jerome, but if he is to remain there, he will need to earn his meals, just like everyone else there. So father Jerome gives him a task. To look after Rebecca, the donkey used to collect firewood.

Inside Illustration - Art ©Paolo Santoro

Of course Leo finds the task to be lowly and not worthy of a lion like him, but he loves father Jerome and agrees to do it! And it doesn't really help that Rebecca is a very smug donkey. She brays and kicks and complains and makes unflattering remarks about the tuft at the end of Leo's tail. The banter between the two kept the children laughing all the way through!

Leo and Rebecca settle into a daily routine and all goes well at the monastery, until the day Rebecca disappears!
No one knew what had happened to her and everyone blamed Leo! he didn't do his duty to protect Rebecca. And even worse than that... he must have eaten her!! That is what everyone believes! Everyone in the story that is, and perhaps some of us, but my little adventurers were in Leo's corner from the very beginning. 'He didn't eat the donkey!!' was the unanimous consent.

Whether the little ones were right or not, I'm not going to tell you. You're gonna have to read this to find out! :D
What I will tell you though is that we all had a whole load of fun reading this charming story to the end! Leo's adventures made us roar with laughter but also think about what makes us better human beings.
Don't be harsh in judgement, don't blame and condemn without proof, and above all, be humble and kind!

Reading for and with children is one of the most beautiful experiences a book-lover like me can ever have. Because children's enthusiasm to a good story is irresistible! Their simple joy ... catching! And when the book and story live up to their expectations, the way this one did, that is when the real fun begins!! They will laugh and sigh and Oh!! and Ah!!
Complemented with the wonderful illustrations by Paolo Santoro, and the fabulous book trailer from YouTube, my read-aloud for The Story of an Ordinary Lion was a complete success. Every single little one loved it! And they asked for more! We will be reading another Janet Doolaege story before long

'Surely, it is better to strive for perfection, not mere excellence.
Perfection, brother, is not of this world."

In a flawless charming prose, this author delivers an exciting tale that is an absolute pleasure to both read and listen to! I highly recommend it to all little adventurers out there!
May you find it just as exciting as my own group of adventurers did!
Happy reading! :)

and remember...
This is the story of an ordinary lion.
But what is an ordinary lion after all?

Check out this book and more of Janet Doolaege over at janetdoolaege.wordpress.com