Can't Catch Me!

by Constanze von Kitzing

Join Little Lion on a bouncy pouncing adventure on the savannah. What will happen when the mischievous lion cub tries to catch a grasshopper, chameleon, rabbit -- or even a rhinoceros?

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Fiction, Storytime

32 pages, Hardcover

Published May 1, 2018

About the author

Constanze von Kitzing is a German illustrator of children's books.

Reviews

[Sharon Huether · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little Lion is on the hunt. All the little creatures he tries to catch, but they are hiding so he can't catch them, except for the Rhinoceros. Then the little lion has to hid.

A beautifully illustrated book.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little lion wants to catch various other animals, but they always manage to hide from him.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young lion is practicing his pouncing and threatens to catch several other Savannah creatures. Each creature successfully eludes him. In the end someone threatens to catch him. Will they?

A good one for toddler/preschool storytime. Limited and repetitive text encourages participation.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I'm going to catch you!" With these words, playful Little Lion tries pouncing on every animal he comes across, from a grasshopper to a zebra. But the tables turn when another animal tries to catch Little Lion instead...

This is a fun story with repetitive dialogue that makes it easy for young kids to follow along and chime in. The book also doubles as a seek-and-find activity book. Kids will love trying to spot the animals blending into the background as they try to hide from Little Lion.

I enjoy Constanze von Kitzing's illustrations a lot. The animals all have appealingly stylized designs, and Little Lion's smug face is especially endearing. The highly textured backgrounds are full of neutral browns and grays that evoke the dusty African savanna. However, I probably would have gone with a different color for the font - at times, the brown is a little hard to see against the background.

The book's small size and seek-and-find format unfortunately mean I won't be able to use this at storytime... It really is a shame, because the simple text and surprise ending would otherwise make this a natural storytime pick! Still plenty of fun to share one-on-one. :)

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I were a child, I'd love this book and the others in this series featuring the irrepressible Little Lion. Even as an adult I can appreciate them and enjoy reading the story and admiring the illustrations that are filled with color and texture. In each scene, Little Lion is bent on catching one animal or another, all of whom are able to outsmart him, outrace him, or outfly him. When a rhinoceros turns the tables on Little Lion and tries to catch him, Little Lion takes a cue from the others, and hides too well to be found. This would be a good title to share with youngsters right before a game of hide-and-seek or as an introduction to a lesson on animals of the jungle. Little Lion is simply adorable in his persistence.

[Christy Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Animals camoflauge themselves in the artwork of Constanze von Kitzing as a small, playful lion cub tries to catch them across the pages of this children's book. Simple language, picture focused with an almost old-fashioned feeling to the drawings that feels calm and appealing. A low-key book that would likely get overlooked, but for the cat-like pounce pose on the cover that caught my eye and charmed me.

[Tracie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little lion tries to catch various animals until the tables are turned.

[Syntha Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple story and colorful illustrations will delight the really young in this tale of a lion learning to hunt.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and has a nice interactivity element for small children.

[Angela De Groot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Playful, amusing, hide-and-seek book for young readers.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Library book find. Fun repetitive lion verse, with various animals. Beautiful artwork, and we cackled at the ending.

[Paola Flores · Rating 5 out of 5]

Age 3-6. Shows what animals can camouflage from predators.