Snow Lion

Snow Lion

Author: David McPhail

Genre: Fiction

Grade Level: Grades 1-2

Year Published: 1982

Summary

This book is about a lion that lives in the jungle. This lion is very hot and sweaty one day in the jungle, so he decides to go away from the jungle to find somewhere cooler. He goes to the hills, and while there he discovers snow! He twice tries and fails to bring the snow back to his friends, due to the fact that it melts in the heat, and they think he is going crazy. Eventually, his friends follow him to the hills where they play and have fun in the snow, and thank lion for bringing them to this wonderful relief from the heat.

About the Author

David McPhail has been an artist since he was two years old! He grew up drawing on and about anything and everything. He grew up in Newburyport, Massachusetts, and currently resides there today. He is married and together they have four children. McPhail "says he has drawn his children so often that it just comes out in his characters!" He is best known for his characters that are animals. 

Interesting facts (taken from his website):

"After he finished high school, McPhail played in a rock and roll band. He writes and draws in a studio in his attic. He has been a member of the Riverview Pizza Bowling Team in Portsmouth, New Hampshire."

  

Source: http://www.eduplace.com/kids/tnc/mtai/mcphail.html

How to Use it

The main idea of this book involves a lion who just wants to share wonderful news with his friends, but when they don’t believe him, he has to find another way to teach them about the snow he found. It also contains the fact that snow cannot exist where it is to warm for it to keep its form, and how snow turns into water when it melts.

Pre-Reading: Discuss with the class what jungles are like, what type of animals normally live in jungles, and what would happen if snow was brought into the jungle.

Post-Reading: Have the students get into small groups and talk about the book. What did they learn from the book? If it is winter, have an experiment where they can bring some snow in a plastic bag from outside into the classroom, and watch it melt into water. This illustrates the processes that occurred during the story.

 

What do I Think?

I think that this is definitely an enjoyable book. It is a great story that children typically enjoy, and I think that it is entertaining. I like how you can tie science into the book, and illustrate the properties of snow.