An Adventure for Lia and Lion
by Al Rodin; illus. by the author
Preschool, Primary    Knopf    32 pp.
10/24    9780593903322    $18.99

“Just beyond the back fence, in a corner of the meadow…” Such is the classic territory that Lia, a diminutive, pointy-nosed preschooler equipped with a butterfly net, explores in her search for a pet and an adventure. Meanwhile, from the other side of the meadow, Lion sets off on a quest with matching goals. When they meet, the background of the illustration turns startling red because, of course, neither wishes to be the pet of the other. As they work out the clash of egos and the power balance, the palette returns to the green and gold of a meadow that holds the excitement of hidden places, unfamiliar vegetation, and a dramatic lightning storm (all with apt palette shifts). Finding common ground, girl and lion also discover each other’s contrasting competencies and work out how to respect the other’s dignity. Vivid oil paintings (“often combined with acrylic, watercolor, inks, pencils, and collage, and edited in Photoshop”) in fauvist colors and unrestrained, animated brushwork joyfully mirror the pleasure that Lia and Lion mutually discover in finding a friend who places a high value on wildness of spirit. All elements of picture-book making combine to encourage a celebratory read-aloud that moves from piano to forte and back again.

From the ">January/February 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.