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When Lions Roar
WHEN LIONS ROAR is a caring and reassuring story of a young child who faces his fear and makes his world a safe place again.
2012 Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka and bestselling author Robie H. Harris pair together to create a comforting story for young readers when their world becomes unsettled.
Thunder is booming!
A big dog is barking!
Sometimes the world seems scary--too scary. But what if you shout, "GO AWAY!" Will the sun come out? Will a flower bloom?
2012 Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka and bestselling author Robie H. Harris pair together to create a comforting story for young readers when their world becomes unsettled.
Thunder is booming!
A big dog is barking!
Sometimes the world seems scary--too scary. But what if you shout, "GO AWAY!" Will the sun come out? Will a flower bloom?
32 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2013
62 people want to read
About the author
Robie H. Harris
63 books94 followersRobie H. Harris has written many award-winning books for children of all ages, including the definitive Family Library about sexuality: IT'S PERFECTLY NORMAL, IT'S SO AMAZING!, and IT'S NOT THE STORK! She lives in Massachusetts.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
June 3, 2015
* * * Read & Reviewed by Me and My Niece Emma * * *
A nice and short how-to on handling those scary things life throws at you.
My five-year-old niece Emma wasn't head-over-heels in love with When Lions Roar mainly because of the topic. She's not a fan of being scared. I would say she's fairly normal in that regard. Also, she didn't seem overly impressed with the watercolor style artwork.
That's not to say we didn't enjoy reading this on some level. I quite liked the artwork and the story's message of letting kids know scary stuff will come and it will go. Emma was quite happy to finish the book, which means that it at least held her interest, if not entirely enthralling her.
We traded off reading duties and she was capable of whizzing through about 9 out of 10 of the words herein while sounding out the rest.
Emma's reaction would've placed this solidly at 3 stars, but I'm giving it one more, because I think When Lions Roar is a quality book. Since this is a joint review I feel entitled to do so, and if Emma doesn't like it she can go sniff a bottom burp.
A nice and short how-to on handling those scary things life throws at you.
My five-year-old niece Emma wasn't head-over-heels in love with When Lions Roar mainly because of the topic. She's not a fan of being scared. I would say she's fairly normal in that regard. Also, she didn't seem overly impressed with the watercolor style artwork.
That's not to say we didn't enjoy reading this on some level. I quite liked the artwork and the story's message of letting kids know scary stuff will come and it will go. Emma was quite happy to finish the book, which means that it at least held her interest, if not entirely enthralling her.
We traded off reading duties and she was capable of whizzing through about 9 out of 10 of the words herein while sounding out the rest.
Emma's reaction would've placed this solidly at 3 stars, but I'm giving it one more, because I think When Lions Roar is a quality book. Since this is a joint review I feel entitled to do so, and if Emma doesn't like it she can go sniff a bottom burp.
October 12, 2013
A story about the scary sounds that can overwhelm a small or sensitive child and the coping mechanisms that help his world feel safe again.
The author does a good job of selecting the scariest everyday noises that children must learn to deal with. I liked the way the child calmed himself by fighting back and then connecting to his center to regain a sense of peace.
Crayon and watercolor illustrations. Highly recommended for PreK-2.
The author does a good job of selecting the scariest everyday noises that children must learn to deal with. I liked the way the child calmed himself by fighting back and then connecting to his center to regain a sense of peace.
Crayon and watercolor illustrations. Highly recommended for PreK-2.
October 17, 2013
Age: Preschool
Emotions: Fear
This fills an interesting niche for sound-sensitive, young children. A boy is overwhelmed by the loud noises around him until he closes his eyes and tells them to go away. He then starts to notice all the beautiful and soft noises around him after he faces his fears. Rashcka's watercolors are superbly deployed here by illustrating sounds.
Emotions: Fear
This fills an interesting niche for sound-sensitive, young children. A boy is overwhelmed by the loud noises around him until he closes his eyes and tells them to go away. He then starts to notice all the beautiful and soft noises around him after he faces his fears. Rashcka's watercolors are superbly deployed here by illustrating sounds.
January 29, 2026
A little boy experiences all manner of feelings from loud noises: police sirens to barking dogs and his dad shouting to lions roaring and thunder clapping. Then his shuts his eyes and yells, "Go away, fear!" Silence comes and he opens his eyes. The wind goes away and the sun comes up. Flowers bloom and ants run. Mom sings and dad dances. Fear leaves and he's fine now.
A simple story told in few words that will resonate with young kids who feel big emotions and not sure what to do. This book offers ideas on how to move through fear.
Themes: animals, Spanish language, emotions, family
Ages: preK-2nd grade
Pub year: 2013
Note: English version: When Lions Roar
A simple story told in few words that will resonate with young kids who feel big emotions and not sure what to do. This book offers ideas on how to move through fear.
Themes: animals, Spanish language, emotions, family
Ages: preK-2nd grade
Pub year: 2013
Note: English version: When Lions Roar
March 3, 2018
This simple story opens with a little boy at the zoo feeling overwhelmed by the noises of the animals. The sensation continues as the day goes on and there's a storm, his parents get upset and traffic is loud. When he can no longer take it he finds a quiet corner and tells the scary to go away and brings the quiet back.
A wonderful book to use when children need to learn to self-soothe to avoid becoming overwhelmed.
A wonderful book to use when children need to learn to self-soothe to avoid becoming overwhelmed.
January 5, 2023
3.5 stars. This book warrants some discussion with kids based on how basic the text is, but I think that's okay. I liked the sort of abstract illustrations too. Could be used in a storytime about fear/emotions and being scared, but also a storytime about noise/being loud/etc.
December 22, 2016
Water color drawing illuminate a young boy getting scared, curling up and then fighting past it. Simple words but big concept. Preschool or one on one.
August 21, 2017
Good choice to add for a unit on "all about me" for pre-K.
April 6, 2019
I like the writing. I don't like the illustrations for use in storytime.
November 26, 2019
Read it aloud with feeling for the best effect.
February 6, 2020
All about emotions and being overwhelmed.
August 5, 2020
Part of the books our library recommended for small kids to learn about emotions.
Well done, but geared towards young toddlers (ages 2-3).
November 30, 2021
A book about fear and how it can be a safe place again.
November 15, 2013
The author of It’s Perfectly Normal joins forces with a Caldecott Medalist to create this picture book. It is the story of a young boy who is overwhelmed by a visit to the zoo with all of the animal noises. He also gets scared of a thunder storm, sirens and mommy and daddy shouting. When it all becomes too frightening, the boy sits down, shuts his eyes and tells the scary to go away. And it does. Then he can hear the quiet again and he stands back up and opens his eyes. He is off to run in the sunshine, look at nature and hear the softer sounds around him.
This is a simple picture book with lines that don’t rhyme but a rhythm that ties them all together into almost verse. Harris captures the feeling of a child overwhelmed by noise but also by negative things happening. I appreciate that the child solves the issue on his own by becoming introspective and mindful and not by having a tantrum. It is a book about centering oneself and calming down even in a loud environment. The return to being able to hear the softer things and enjoy your surroundings again is particularly effective.
Rashka’s art is his signature style with loose sweeps of paint in bright colors. His images are swirls of movement that work very well with the subject matter. From the noises in the air to the quieter moments, the boy’s entire body language changes as he gives in to the overwhelming feelings first and then recovers from them.
A strong book, this is one that will encourage children to center themselves and be in charge of their own reactions to overstimulation. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
This is a simple picture book with lines that don’t rhyme but a rhythm that ties them all together into almost verse. Harris captures the feeling of a child overwhelmed by noise but also by negative things happening. I appreciate that the child solves the issue on his own by becoming introspective and mindful and not by having a tantrum. It is a book about centering oneself and calming down even in a loud environment. The return to being able to hear the softer things and enjoy your surroundings again is particularly effective.
Rashka’s art is his signature style with loose sweeps of paint in bright colors. His images are swirls of movement that work very well with the subject matter. From the noises in the air to the quieter moments, the boy’s entire body language changes as he gives in to the overwhelming feelings first and then recovers from them.
A strong book, this is one that will encourage children to center themselves and be in charge of their own reactions to overstimulation. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
April 17, 2014
book: When Lions Roar] by Robie H. Harris, illustrated by Chris Raschka is a story about a young boy trying to cope with loud and scary noises and return to quiet and calmness.
Raschka's bright, colorful illustrations are crayon and watercolor in his signature style. Raschka portrays loud and scary noises well.
Harris tells this tale using simple, one and two syllable words displayed in a large font. His story of dealing with loud and scary noises focuses on centering oneself. While this is good advice, achieving it may be more difficult than shown for young, children sensitive to loudness or emotionally scary situations. I would have preferred to have the sound words in even larger fonts to emphasize the noise factor.
For ages 3 to 6, fear, noise, emotions, centering, calmness, and fans of Robie H. Harris and Chris Raschka.
Raschka's bright, colorful illustrations are crayon and watercolor in his signature style. Raschka portrays loud and scary noises well.
Harris tells this tale using simple, one and two syllable words displayed in a large font. His story of dealing with loud and scary noises focuses on centering oneself. While this is good advice, achieving it may be more difficult than shown for young, children sensitive to loudness or emotionally scary situations. I would have preferred to have the sound words in even larger fonts to emphasize the noise factor.
For ages 3 to 6, fear, noise, emotions, centering, calmness, and fans of Robie H. Harris and Chris Raschka.
September 7, 2013
This book is for beginning readers with one sentence per page. I think it's a nice book but they have keep the loud sounds to animals only or nature. The first half of the book is about all the noises things make. When the little boy gets scared he shouts "GO AWAY!" and everything is quiet again. But why "when Daddy is yelling and Mommy is hollering" in there. The illustrations are not of the parents yelling at the child. But why teach a young child to yell back at you if you are yelling? Just saying!
The illustrations in this book are more thick brush paintings without details and background. Simple.
The illustrations in this book are more thick brush paintings without details and background. Simple.
October 14, 2013
Some noises are scarier than others; for instance, booming thunder, blaring sirens, and yelling fathers can be very disconcerting as the youngster in the book finds out. Although he can't simply avoid all those scary sounds, he can decide how he is going to deal with them. In this case, he finds a quiet place, centers himself, and finds the good, peaceful moments that are waiting for him. The lesson is a good one, and the crayon and watercolor illustrations express his anxiety, his determination, and his resolve not to be disturbed for long by what makes him afraid. This is a good reminder about perspective.
October 15, 2013
Although I enjoyed the whimsical artwork, I was underwhelmed by the text. At an age when association is so profoundly enacted, this book is terribly vague and general.
I think one of the things that bothers me is how easy it seems to be for the boy to shut out the scary sounds. As the parent of a teen with Asperger's I can attest that is was never that easy for my son. And after years of working with all ages of children, I find they are rarely able to tune the world out and self-regulate.
The concept is wonderful, but is too general and abstract for an age group that truly requires concrete examples when it comes to how they interact the world.
I think one of the things that bothers me is how easy it seems to be for the boy to shut out the scary sounds. As the parent of a teen with Asperger's I can attest that is was never that easy for my son. And after years of working with all ages of children, I find they are rarely able to tune the world out and self-regulate.
The concept is wonderful, but is too general and abstract for an age group that truly requires concrete examples when it comes to how they interact the world.
March 23, 2024
Not what I expected, but not bad either. I enjoyed the illustrations, but the stylized watercolors might not be to everyone's taste. Very simple text expressing fears and how a child overcomes them. Many of these fears centered on loud noises, so could be used for a storytime or one-on-one about fears or emotions. Some of the fears were parents yelling, so might be a good one for families dealing with stress, divorce, etc. At the same time, though, I don't know if it's the first book I'd pass along. There was just something missing to make it a really solid recommendation.
September 15, 2015
We just got this from the local library. I didn't like it. It is about loud noises that can be scary and shows the father and mother yelling with the child visibly frightened. The advice is to sit down and close your eyes. I don't know something about the daddy yelling while the child hides behind the mothers legs didn't sit right with me.
January 3, 2016
A young boy is scared of loud sounds until he sits down, closes his eyes and makes the scary go away. It is possible this book might help an average child, but I don't think it would be this easy for a child with real sound sensitivity.
Love Raschka's pictures.
Love Raschka's pictures.
October 2, 2013
There are lots of scary things in the world of a child, and this book touches on many of them. The little boy in the story has figured out a way for him to make the scary go away, and he feels better. The pictures are done in simple watercolor, which makes it really accessible to children.
November 14, 2013
Yeah, I don't know. I was so excited to see Robie Harris' and Chris Raschka's names on one book, but the narrative was dull and the pictures while kind of cute/interesting didn't really do it for me.
February 1, 2014
If it wasn't for Raschka's illustrations, I would have given this picture book 2 stars....I'm not a big fan of the text and the book wasn't what I expected, but it could work with a feelings story time, or to recommend to parents about scared/upset children.
February 13, 2014
In simple text, a young boy explains how he copes with scary things.
I'm not really a fan of Raschka's illustration style, but this book has a nice message that will comfort young readers who are learning to manage fear and the unpredictability of life.
I'm not really a fan of Raschka's illustration style, but this book has a nice message that will comfort young readers who are learning to manage fear and the unpredictability of life.
March 12, 2014
The idea and the text were well done, and the colors are bright, but I just never can get into Raschka's illustration. He's very well regarded, so I always feel like I'm missing something, but they just don't appeal to me. This is a nice treatment of fear for kids.
July 22, 2016
I'm not big on overt message books. But...I like this short, simple text that tells how the narrator copes when things get overwhelming. Kids can control so little in their surroundings, and I think this internal reset is a skill that everyone needs.
April 17, 2014
An endearing book that helps children deal with the overwhelming emotions that accompany fear and anxiety. The awesome illustrations by Chris Raschka beautifully capture the experience of a child dealing with multiple stresses.
November 5, 2014
Some little kids are frightened by loud noises like thunder, yelling, or roaring lions. They can also find a quiet space, calm themselves down, and enjoy life once more. Water colors by Chris Raschka are great, reminiscent of early children's books with only a few colors. Bold and bright.
July 17, 2013
This would be a great book for my niece who is sensitive to sounds. It would reassure her that everything is going to be okay even when things sound scary.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews