Andy and the Lion

Andy and the Lion

Author: James Daugherty

Genre: Fiction

Grade Level: Elementary School

Year Published: 1938

Summary

This is a story about a young boy named Andy who went to the library one day and checked out a book about lions. After he read the whole book, all Andy could think about was lions. Then, as he was walking to school the next day, (thinking about lions), he met a lion! After a wild chase, he ended up helping the lion by taking a thorn out of it’s foot. Andy and the lion became friends, and parted ways. When the circus came to town, Andy went to watch it and the lion escaped. It came right across Andy, but even though it was fierce and wild, it recognized Andy because it was the same lion he had helped. Andy saved the crowd from the lion, and held a parade the next day with the lion, where he received a medal for his bravery. 

About the Author

James Daugherty was born in 1889, and died in 1974. He lived in various places, including Ohio, Washington D.C., and London. He was an artist, children's book author, and illustrator. IN his life, he wrote and illustrated children's books, and also constructed propaganda posters during World War I. 

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Daugherty

How to Use it

The main idea of this story involves a child and a lion becoming unlikely friends. It also shows children that helping someone and becoming friends with someone can pay off later in life, as it did with Andy, because it saved him from the lion attacking him. This could be used as a character education lesson.

Pre-Reading: Discuss with the class the nature of lions. Talk about what they look like, and how they act, and how they are not normally friendly with people. Discuss with the class their predictions about what will happen with Andy and the lion in the book. Record the students' predictions on chart paper or whiteboard. 

Post-Reading: Compare students predictions to what actually happened in the story. Were they right? Also, after reading this book, the children could have small group discussions involving talking about why it is good to help people when they need help. They might also discuss how being a good friend will help you, and that you should treat others the way you would like to be treated (golden rule).

What do I Think?

I think that this book is great. The lesson and moral of the story is timeless: Help someone, and they will always remember it. The Golden Rule is also a lesson in this story: Treat others the way that you would like to be treated. I have never used it in my classroom, but I can see how students could relate to it. I think it would be an exceptional addition to a character education program.