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A review by emdoux
Chloe and the Lion by Mac Barnett
5.0
Grades K-3
A truly original, silly, funny, and downright cool picture book about a girl named Chloe, a loose-change finder who ends up lost in the woods after a dizzyingly long merry-go-round ride... where she meets a huge lion. (The lion is really a dragon, not a lion. Illustrator Adam Rex has been fired for replacing the lion with a "cooler" dragon. Sorry. The remainder of the book will be handled by a true illustrator who can follow directions. Apoligies for this interruption.)
So Chloe, in the woods, suddenly comes upon a li-
(Sorry again. The new illustrator seems to have drawn a lion who has eaten the author of the book.)
-on, who lets out a ferocious roar.
(You know what? That roar didn't look very ferocious... how about a scarier lion?)
And so on, and so forth.
--- review written for class below
Beginning on its endpapers by introducing Sculpy facsimiles of author (Mac) and illustrator (Adam) as characters as well as creators of the mixed-media story, this newest collaboration from Barnett and Rex does not disappoint. After a dizzyingly long merry-go-round ride, Chloe, a loose-change finder and carousel-lover, ends up lost in the woods… where she meets a huge dragon. Adam feels this is definitely cooler than meeting the boring old lion of the title. It may be, but Adam is quickly fired by Mac for interference. Hiring a new illustrator is met with similar difficulties, and soon Mac is alone with Chloe and the [properly illustrated] lion. Barnett and Rex are old hands at breaking the fourth wall, here shattering that wall in a constructive, artistic, humorous, and plot-productive manner, literally setting a stage upon which to discuss author- and illustrator-ship, cooperation, and friendship. Bonus points for subtle introduction to classic tales when Chloe seeks help against the lion - “I only go after wolves dressed as old ladies,” says a woodcutter, and a grumpy old crone who “only goes after monsters who have been emotionally wounded by their mad-genius creators.” A great selection for an enthusiastic, comical read, sure to be thoroughly enjoyed and discussed on many levels.
ANNOTATION WRITTEN FOR CLASS BELOW
1. Barnett, Mac, illustrated by Adam Rex. Chloe and the Lion.
Consistent shattering of fourth wall provides a wildly humorous exploration of the roles of author and [fired] illustrator in a mixed media effort on the power of collaboration.
A truly original, silly, funny, and downright cool picture book about a girl named Chloe, a loose-change finder who ends up lost in the woods after a dizzyingly long merry-go-round ride... where she meets a huge lion. (The lion is really a dragon, not a lion. Illustrator Adam Rex has been fired for replacing the lion with a "cooler" dragon. Sorry. The remainder of the book will be handled by a true illustrator who can follow directions. Apoligies for this interruption.)
So Chloe, in the woods, suddenly comes upon a li-
(Sorry again. The new illustrator seems to have drawn a lion who has eaten the author of the book.)
-on, who lets out a ferocious roar.
(You know what? That roar didn't look very ferocious... how about a scarier lion?)
And so on, and so forth.
--- review written for class below
Beginning on its endpapers by introducing Sculpy facsimiles of author (Mac) and illustrator (Adam) as characters as well as creators of the mixed-media story, this newest collaboration from Barnett and Rex does not disappoint. After a dizzyingly long merry-go-round ride, Chloe, a loose-change finder and carousel-lover, ends up lost in the woods… where she meets a huge dragon. Adam feels this is definitely cooler than meeting the boring old lion of the title. It may be, but Adam is quickly fired by Mac for interference. Hiring a new illustrator is met with similar difficulties, and soon Mac is alone with Chloe and the [properly illustrated] lion. Barnett and Rex are old hands at breaking the fourth wall, here shattering that wall in a constructive, artistic, humorous, and plot-productive manner, literally setting a stage upon which to discuss author- and illustrator-ship, cooperation, and friendship. Bonus points for subtle introduction to classic tales when Chloe seeks help against the lion - “I only go after wolves dressed as old ladies,” says a woodcutter, and a grumpy old crone who “only goes after monsters who have been emotionally wounded by their mad-genius creators.” A great selection for an enthusiastic, comical read, sure to be thoroughly enjoyed and discussed on many levels.
ANNOTATION WRITTEN FOR CLASS BELOW
1. Barnett, Mac, illustrated by Adam Rex. Chloe and the Lion.
Consistent shattering of fourth wall provides a wildly humorous exploration of the roles of author and [fired] illustrator in a mixed media effort on the power of collaboration.