Enchanted Lions

by David T. Greenberg

One evening, Rose looks out her window to see enchanted lions climb out of the sea. After she scratches one behind his ears, she climb onto his back for a breathtaking tour of the cosmos. They race with Monoceros the unicorn, jump-rope crescent moons, and are rescued from a black hole by Cetus, the whale. Once back home, they rub noses goodbye and the lions return to the sea, leaving Rose to dream about her interstellar flight. Luminous illustrations perfectly complement melodic text in this out-of-this-world adventure sure to entrance readers as it introduces them to celestial bodies.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Science Fiction Fantasy, Fantasy, Adventure, Poetry, Fiction

Paperback

First published May 14, 2009

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweetly poetic, gorgeously illustrated, imaginative and fantastical romp through the nighttime constellations astride a magical lion, David T. Greenberg's Enchanted Lions is a wonderful bedtime story for any young child, but is especially suitable for children who are interested in outer space, the constellations, the vastness and mystery of the universe. Rose and her lion companion glide through the universe, past Pegasus, past Pisces, even engaging in a race across the vastness of space with Monoceros, the unicorn (and Rose even becomes somewhat of a heroine, rescuing herself and the enchanted lion when they come too close to a black hole, by hooking a comet tail lasso over Cetus the whale). And as to Kristina Swarner's accompanying illustrations, they are equally delightful, absolutely gorgeous, luminous and bright, a perfect complement to the author's, to David T. Greenberg's poetic narrative, creating a rich and fantastical tapestry sure to sweetly enchant (and yes indeed, a wondrous marriage of text and images). That all being said, Enchanted Lions is of course and naturally also not a book for those looking for factual scientific information about outer space and the universe (as it is a completely fantastical, imaginative voyage into the unknown of the universe, a poetical delight that is part fairy-tale, part science fiction fantasy). Highly recommended for imaginative children (and basically to anyone who has ever dreamed of encountering the constellations, anyone who has ever imagined and wished for the nighttime constellations to be real, to actually be able to meet and touch Cetus the whale, Pegasus the horse, Pisces the fishes). A delightful and richly creative small gem and yes, I do very highly and warmly recommend Enchanted Lions.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely, lyrical bedtime story telling of a girl's fantastical nighttime voyages with an enchanted (flying) lion. I enjoyed the poetic storytelling and found the illustrations suitably dreamlike and fantastical. I also enjoyed how various constellations magically come into play (i.e., they meet Pieces, Cetus the whale, and Pegasus) I was certainly enchanted ;-)

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do believe this is meant to be an enchanting bedtime story. I did enjoy the story rhyme and the dreamy (sometimes gorgeous) pictures. Somehow though I wasn’t entirely enchanted, and I might have been a tad scared or bored by this when I was at the 3-8 targeted age. It might be my mood because I’d have thought I’d have appreciated this book more than I did. 3 ½ stars

[Bernice · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet bedtime story for children! As little Rose goes to sleep she is entertained by lions that have come out of the sea. She hops aboard one special lion that takes her all across the sky visiting all the constellations. On their journey she is almost pulled in by the black hole, but is able to lasso herself out and lands safely back at home. Back home she sees many other children saying goodbye to their lions, as she does the same to hers. With that final goodbye, Rose gets back into bed and falls sweetly asleep.

With a mix of science-fiction and fantasy involved this story is sure to capture young readers. We are able to take a glimpse of the constellations, such as Pegasus and and Cetus. This story introduces the magical powers of the lions to intrigue the thoughts of the reader. This is story is fantasy through the setting, which takes place in the middle of the sky, but starts off in a little girl's bedroom. It definitely gives you a feeling of enchantment as noted in the title. The extraordinary world Rose has experienced definitely makes it appealing to a young child as they venture off to sleep.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a soothing and lyrical tale of a magical night/dream for a little girl named Rose. The illustrations are softly dark and have a mottled, textured look to them that enhances the dream-like vision. And the rhyming narrative is short and entertaining, but is also calming, perfect for reading to little ones before bed.

I have taken our girls to planetariums and to "star parties" sponsored by astronomy clubs and they love looking at the celestial bodies up close through the telescopes. This book spurs the imagination about the magical formations that we call constellations and the many different images people have seen in the stars. Overall, this was a sweet and subdued tale that is great for bedtime. Our girls are growing out of this kind of book, but we still enjoyed reading it together.

This book was selected as one of the books for the September 2013 - Bedtime stories discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.

[L13_Nicole Agee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enchanted Lions take you on a magical ride through the starry night sky. Friendly Lions climb out of the sea, Rose and the lion swoop through outer space, and encounter the majesty of passing comets, asteroids, and crescent moons. This is a very whimsical and playful book with characters such as Pegasus the horse, unicorns, and a mighty whale. It describes an adventure any child would love to have before falling into a restful sleep.

The illustrations are beautiful and give you the sense that you have been transported to the night sky. The pages are filled with stars, shooting comets, and planets strategically placed. The lions are golden with big-outstretched bodies and friendly faces. The sun, stars, and planets are brightly colored with pink, yellow and red hues.

This read-aloud would be great for a children of any age. They will enjoy the fantasy and magic of riding on the backs of lions and traveling through the stars in the night sky.

This author David T. Greenberg wrote Enchanted Lions with the goal of capturing the mythic power of the painting Sleeping Gypsy by Henri Rousseau. (back cover of book)

[Jodysegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

At bedtime one night, Rose spies a pride of enchanted lions emerging from the sea. When she beckons, one approaches and whisks her off on a magical ride through the heavens, before seeing her off safely to sleep. Enchanted Lions is meant to be shared aloud. Interesting language, full of rhythm, expression and image, complements exquisite illustrations in opalescent blues and greens and glowing tawny yellows. The author was inspired by Rousseau’s painting Sleeping Gypsy. The same warm resonance suffuses Swarmer’s art. Aside from the obvious bedtime-themed storytime, this book would be fun to use as part of a space or art storytime.

[Klara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over the moon, baby. A girl goes on a magical bedtime ride through outerspace with a lion that comes out of the ocean. How awesome is that? Oh, and beautiful language, etc. First page:

"The sea is a maze of swirls;
The night is ablaze with pearls.
The blossoms of a pear tree
Suddenly rustle and sigh."

I wasn't going to pick this up but then I saw that the author is David T. Greenberg, the guy who wrote a hilariously disgusting picturebook I like called "Bugs!" and I'm glad I got to know the author's sweetly sleepy-eyed side.

[Meleofa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute story. Truly enchanting.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

After my daughter cried at the end of Princes Baby Night-Night, I decided we needed to read another book to lift her spirits... lol. We chose this one because she really likes making the lion roar. This book actually surprised me. I didn't expect it to be as good as it was. What I really liked about it was a bit of the myths that were mentioned. The illustrations were whimsical and calming for a bedtime book. The rhyming flowed easily and didn't feel forced at all; it was structured well so it was very readable. The story was sweet. I was impressed by this book. Good, solid bedtime read.

[SamZ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this story a lot. It was whimsical and original and perfect for bedtime. However, my daughter was bored and just didn't want to finish it.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

A whimsical, magical introduction to the night sky and to constellations as Rose climbs on a lion's back and sails through the air.

[Rachel Boruff · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book that I read is called "Enchanted Lions". The story begins with a young girl, who in the middle of the night, mounts a lion from the sea. They both fly into the sky and start to circle around constellations. In the middle of the story, she passes by a unicorn. Then, the girl and her lion began to get sucked into a black hole. Had she not lassoed a space whale; they would have been absorbed by the hole. When they fly back home to the shore, there are many other children with their own lions. Sadly, they bid their new friends goodbye, but the main character ends the night with a smile. As a teacher, I might use this book to teach my class about outer space. There are different constellations that the characters encounter throughout the story. Then, I could have my students draw diagrams of the stars in the sky.

[Robin Berman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated book in the artistic style of Henri Rousseau, inspired by his "Sleeping Gypsy " painting.
A little red headed girl named Rose takes a ride on an enchanted lion (as do other children on other enchanted lions, hence the title). They go on adventures through space.

[Corinne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are peerless, but dreamy rhyming books aren't always my jam.

[RLL 520 Sharonda Kimbrough · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic story about a young girl named Rose and her imagination. One day Rose is looking out of the window at the stars and her surroundings and she sees something amazing. What is it that she sees? On an adventure with a new friend Rose explores the evening sky before bedtime. This book would be a good read for k-3rd grade reader and could be used to introduce poetry. The illustrations are simple yet vibrant and help pull the reader into Rose's imagination.

[Londa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Things I liked:
*The creative tale about riding lions into the cosmos. The prose was sweet and the pictures were lovely.

Just OK
*Granted my son is 8, but he was totally bored with this story. I can understand because while it was well written, I also found it a little yawn worthy.

[Whole And · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully dreamy and magical story, visually delicate and rich, language stimulating and constellations to explore. The story told with rhyme and rhythm and so much more.

We loved entering Rose's world with every turn of the page.

A beautiful bedtime book to have.

[Tina B]

"bedtime, lions, night sky,"

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the illustrations. Pretty simple bedtime story.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dreamlike poetry and imagery. An enjoyable read.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous book about lions from the sea - I guess a kid was confused by the idea of sea lions? And it mentions interstellar space. Not enough picture books mention interstellar space. Just saying.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book; love the illustrations! Quite vivid!

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for toddler or preschool storytimes.

[Melanie Gaum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty art. I like the constellation references, but I think younger kids won't know some of the words.