Lion Family Book ANNOTATION
Text and photographs take the reader into a family of lions to watch the cubs grow and learn on the African plains.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
Part of the same series that included The Goose Family Book , this new installment presents close-up photos of lions and cubs that portray the strict family structure. The narration and pictures work well to impart to readers a sense of family life and each day's rhythms: males prowl the territory to make sure that there are no interlopers or threats to the pride while females hunt down foodin this case, a gnu. Hofer's text includes hints as to the lives of the other animals of the African landsthe scavenging vultures and marabous, the ever-alert animals who watch at the watering hole and all through the night against the chance of a strike by a hungry cat. Strikingly composed, the photos offer splendid backgrounds to the solid text. Ages 5-up. (Sept.)
Children's Literature - Dr. Judy Rowen
The authors spent one year living with lions in an African preserve. They chronicle the family life of the big cats in text and striking photographs. One photo captures five cubs poised in the tall grass, watching attentively as their mothers hunt. This is the way they will learn. The text, despite being an English translation from German, flows well and invites us into the life of the pride. The book does not contain many hard facts and figures (for instance, the reader will not learn how many cubs are usually born or how much they weigh) but does teach a lesson in natural history.
School Library Journal
Gr 4-6 Africa's Masai Mara Nature Reserve is the setting for this engaging photodocumentary of the daily life of a pride of lions. Hofer explains that she and Ziesler spent a year observing the animals in their natural habitat, and the fine close-up views of the animals with their young bear testimony to the patience devoted to this project. Personal references to the author and photographer appear only in the introductory paragraphs and briefly at the conclusion of the book; most of the text is a straightforward, informative description of the lions' behavior as they raise their young and hunt for prey. Some of the color photographs bear an orange caste that is not altogether attractive but suggests the shimmery haze of a hot climate; many of the pictures are lovely, high in quality, and remarkable in content. Herds of zebra and gnus are depicted sharing the landscape with the many lions shown singly and in pairs and groupand groups. The animals viewed here are both intriguing and irresistible, and the well-crafted account is an excellent introduction to the species. Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston
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