Books of Wonder

A Hungry Lion or a Dwindling Assortment of Animals

A Hungry Lion or a Dwindling Assortment of Animals - Main image
$8.99 $17.99 In stock

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“So smart and so cute and so dark all at the same time. Sheesh.” —Caldecott medal and honor winner, Jon Klassen.

Once upon a time there was a hungry lion and a bunch of adorable animals…what do you think happened next?


There once was a hungry lion, a penguin (Well he was just here…), a little calico kitten (I could have sworn I just saw him…), a brown mouse (Now wait a second…), a bunny with floppy ears and a bunny with un-floppy ears (Okay this is just getting ridiculous), a frog, a bat, a pig, a slightly bigger pig, a wooly sheep, a koala, a hen, and also a turtle. Hey! What’s going on here…

The very hungry lion is all set to enjoy an exciting day with his other animal pals. But all of a sudden his friends start disappearing at an alarming rate! Is someone stealing the hungry lion’s friends, or is the culprit a little…closer to home?

With sharp wit, adorable illustrations, and hysterical twists galore, this debut picture book asks—what do you think happened to the hungry lion’s friends?

Customer Reviews (4.7 / 5 · 20 reviews)

Joshua M. ★★★★★

My kids laughed nervously at the twist ending, and I did too—this book is deceptively simple but packs that dark humor Jon Klassen mentions. The illustrations have this weirdly charming deadpan vibe that makes the "adorable animals" part feel extra sinister.

Leo ★★★★★

The pacing is perfect for a read-aloud—my kid giggled at the adorable animals, then went totally quiet at the twist. Jon Klassen’s blurb on the cover is spot on; it’s dark in that sly, clever way that makes adults snicker too.

Lily R. ★★★★★

The twist at the end genuinely caught me off guard—my kid asked for it again immediately, and that Jon Klassen blurb on the cover is spot-on. The pacing is tight enough to hold a squirmy four-year-old’s attention, and the dark humor lands perfectly for the grown-up reading it aloud.