L is for Lion

Welcome to our L is for Lion Book List and Activity List!

Get ready! There are a LOT of books. We checked out and read 37 different books about lions. Who knew there were so many? This was a fun list to work on and we walked away with some new favorites.

Below you will find…

• A list of our favorite books
• A list of activities you can try at home
• *NEW* A couple ideas for Biblical Integration

L is for Lion Booklist

• Lion Lessons by Jon Agee
  • This is a favorite book in our home! We received it from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a program that gives free books to children between the ages of 0-5. Click the link to see if this program is available where you live!
  • Activity: This is a great book to get kids up and moving. Have them act out each part of the Lion Lessons!
• Little Red and the Very Hungry Lion by Alex T. Smith
  • This book is hysterical! A spin off of Little Red Riding Hood.
  • Question for Conversation: How is this story different than the story of Little Red Riding Hood that you know? How is it the same?
•  Chloe and the Lion by Mac Barnett
  • A funny story of the relationship between authors and illustrators and how they work together (or don’t!) to make a book
• The Tawny Scrawny Lion by Kathryn Jackson
  • A Classic Little Golden Book
• National Geographic Early Reader: Lions by Laura Marsh
  • All of the National Geographic Early Readers are excellent for young children. Children stay engaged with the stunning photography and fascinating information, and a limited number of words per page.
• We’re Going on a Lion Hunt by David Axtell
  • A beautifully illustrated book about two girls going on a lion hunt in the African Savanna. It is a spin off of the familiar chant “We’re going on a bear Hunt.”
• One Day on Our Blue Planet: In the Savannah by Ella Bailey
  • This adorably illustrated book is part of a series called One Day on Our Blue Planet by author and illustrator Ella Bailey. It traces a day in the life of a lion cub and his family. A cute introduction to lion habitat and habits
• Lazy Lion  by Mwenye Hadithi and Adrienne Kennaway
  • Beautiful watercolor illustrations! This book reads like an Aesop’s fable.
• If You’re Happy and You Know It by Jane Cabrera
  • We love anything by Jane Cabrera! This book is a great one to get your kids up and singing and dancing like animals.
• The Lion and the Lady by Jacqueline Ogburn and Laurel Long
  • The Lion and the Lady is a retelling of a Grimm Brother’s tale. Sophie LOVED this one. The story itself feels like a combination of Beauty and the Beast and the Greek Myth of Cupid and Psyche. This story has more text per page and may be a little long for younger listeners.
  • Question for Conversation: Does this story sound like another story that you know? How is it the same? How is it different?
• The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
  • Jerry Pinkney is an INCREDIBLE illustrator. This is a wordless book! It retells the well known Aesop’s Fable about the unexpected help a lion receives after he decides to let a mouse go free.
• Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen
  • This is a sweet book about a gentle lion who accidentally breaks some library rules. There is a Spanish version as well!
  • Question for Conversation: What are some of the rules at our library? Why do we have rules? Would there ever be a time it would be ok to break one of those rules?
• Lost in the Library by Josh Funk
  • Did you know that the lions in front of the NYC Public Library have names? This is a story about what happens at night when these two lions come to life.
• Agent Lion by David Soman and Jacky Davis
  • A cute book about jelly donut loving detective who accidentally solves his case. By the co-creators of Ladybug Girl.
• The Lion and the Bird  by Marianne Dubuc
  • A tender story about the friendship that develops between a lion and the bird he rescues. Very few words; very poignant illustrations.
• The Snow Lion by Jim Helmore
  • A sweet book about making new friends after a move, including a very large imaginary one!
  • Question for Conversation: Have you ever moved? How did you feel about moving? What was it like trying to make new friends? What are some ways you can make new friends?
• The Lion’s Share by Matthew McElligot
  • A fun math fable about greediness and true generosity.
  • Related Sermon illustration: This story made me think of a Charles Spurgeon illustration about true worship, retold by Tim Keller, about the King and the Carrot. You can read it here.
• How To Be a Lion by Ed Vere
  • A surprising story about a poetic lion.
• The Lion Inside by Rachel Bright
  • A cute story about a mouse who discovers he is brave, and a lion who is afraid.
  • Related Bible Verse: The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion. Proverbs 28:1
• I Thought I Saw a Lion by Lydia Nichols
  • A CUTE, interactive board book with slides, instead of flaps.
• When Your Lion Needs a Bath by Susanna Leonard Hill
  • Board book. Cute illustrations and silly plot. Great for younger kids.
• How to Hide a Lion by Helen Stephens
  • Sweet story about a little girl and a lion who just came to town to buy a hat!

Here is a Printable Book List to take to the Library: L is for Lion Book List

L is for Lion Literacy Activities

• Talk about the sounds that “L” makes.
• See if your child can find the L on the cover of each of the Lion Books you read.
• See if your child can think of any other words that start with the “L” sound:   love, light, lamb, leap, lift, lunch
• Draw “L” bubble letters and have your child put stickers in the open space. This is good for fine motor skills as well.
• Download this free letter of the week coloring sheet. You can use this for dot-a-dot, coloring, or stickering. Alphabet Coloring Sheets (variety pack) PDF
• Try these Upper and Lower Case Dot-a-Dot sheets that include a letter recognition portion.
• Make the Lion craft below!
  • I have to admit that I am resistant to crafts because so many just end up in the trash, but our girls LOVE making this letter crafts. OUr 5 year old likes to add her own variation. Notice the top Lion has lots of extras: a hat, earrings, a necklace, a tiara.

Additional Lion Activities

• Get MOVING! Move like a lion!
  • Pounce
  • Run
  • Jump
  • Groom
  • Roar
  • Stretch
  • Chase
• Listen and Dance to the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight
• Talk about how Lions are strong and powerful- Jesus is the Lion of Judah.
  • “Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” Revelation 5:5
  • Learn the song You’re the Lion of Judah by Robin Mark

Happy Reading!

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