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Happy Lion
The Happy Lion
The lion at the little French zoo is a favorite of all the townspeople. Every day they stop by to feed him tidbits and say, “ Bonjour, Happy Lion.” Naturally, when the lion finds his door open, he decides it would only be proper to visit all his friendly neighbors in return. But, wait— sacré bleu! Why is everyone fleeing in terror?
“Louise Fatio’s timeless tale about friendship still sparkles and Roger Duvoisin’s elegant illustrations are as engaging as ever in this 50th Anniversary edition.” — School Library Journal
“Louise Fatio’s timeless tale about friendship still sparkles and Roger Duvoisin’s elegant illustrations are as engaging as ever in this 50th Anniversary edition.” — School Library Journal
40 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1954
11 people are currently reading
259 people want to read
About the author
Louise Fatio
36 books9 followersLouise Fatio Duvoisin was a Swiss-born American writer of children's books. Many were created in collaboration with her husband Roger Duvoisin, a Swiss-born illustrator, and she is known best for their picture book series Happy Lion. The Happy Lion (1954), first in the series, won the inaugural, 1956 Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis in its German-language translation (Der glückliche Löwe).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
January 7, 2022
So yes and indeed, I certainly have always adored Roger Duvoisin's expressive illustrations for the 1954 picture book The Happy Lion (especially their muted, yet nevertheless glowing colour schemes, and a lion with such sweet, pensive facial features). But honestly, author Louise Fatio’s entire textual premise regarding The Happy Lion (or Der glückliche Löwe, as it is called in German) has always managed to rather feel at best a bit unnatural and at worst quite troubling, both now and also when I had Der glückliche Löwe repeatedly read to me in 1969 and 1970, when I was three and four years of age (that the lion resides in a zoo, and is all by himself in his rather sparse enclosure, is completely solitary, and that he, that the lion is also seemingly more happy with this kind of an existence than on the plains of Africa, which are actually presented by the author, are depicted by Louise Fatio in The Happy Lion as somehow and strangely being toon hot, too dangerous and perhaps thus even unsuitable for lions).
And well, although I still very much enjoyed the general plotline and the antics of the lion on his romp through the picturesque and nameless French town when my grandmother read the German version, when she read Der glückliche Löwe to three and four year old me, she certainly could not (or perhaps would not) answer my questions as to why a lion residing in a zoo all by himself was supposedly content and happy (and seemingly more contented, more fulfilled than if he lived in wild freedom in Africa).
So yes, upon now rereading after more than four decades (and this time, in English), The Happy Lion is definitely a picture book that has for my personal tastes quite massively lost much of its potential charm (the solitary lion in a smallish zoo enclosure is really so completely not what I would consider a contented and in any way satisfied and naturally kept lion to be that I can only now rate The Happy Lion with two stars at best, the brilliance of Roger Duvoisin's illustrations and even the often inherent sweetness and gentle humour of Louise Fatio's narrative notwithstanding). And while I do realise that this book was originally written in the 1950s, it does not really change my reaction to how the lion is being housed and kept all that much (especially considering that I actually had a very much similar reaction as a small child, in the late 1960s and early 1970s). And while I would not necessarily suggest not reading The Happy Lion to and with children, I do leave the in my opinion necessary caveat that there are most definitely issues that should be discussed, that must be discussed and that some if not perhaps even many children might have the same types of questions that my childhood self had regarding the lion and its (for me so massively problematic) zoo themed and not natural living conditions.
And well, although I still very much enjoyed the general plotline and the antics of the lion on his romp through the picturesque and nameless French town when my grandmother read the German version, when she read Der glückliche Löwe to three and four year old me, she certainly could not (or perhaps would not) answer my questions as to why a lion residing in a zoo all by himself was supposedly content and happy (and seemingly more contented, more fulfilled than if he lived in wild freedom in Africa).
So yes, upon now rereading after more than four decades (and this time, in English), The Happy Lion is definitely a picture book that has for my personal tastes quite massively lost much of its potential charm (the solitary lion in a smallish zoo enclosure is really so completely not what I would consider a contented and in any way satisfied and naturally kept lion to be that I can only now rate The Happy Lion with two stars at best, the brilliance of Roger Duvoisin's illustrations and even the often inherent sweetness and gentle humour of Louise Fatio's narrative notwithstanding). And while I do realise that this book was originally written in the 1950s, it does not really change my reaction to how the lion is being housed and kept all that much (especially considering that I actually had a very much similar reaction as a small child, in the late 1960s and early 1970s). And while I would not necessarily suggest not reading The Happy Lion to and with children, I do leave the in my opinion necessary caveat that there are most definitely issues that should be discussed, that must be discussed and that some if not perhaps even many children might have the same types of questions that my childhood self had regarding the lion and its (for me so massively problematic) zoo themed and not natural living conditions.
August 5, 2012
I love this lion! He's sweet, kind, innocent and optimistic. And the illustrations of him are great!
The story is basically about a lion who lives in an enclosure in the middle of the city. Now, I'm not a fan of zoos, cages or things like that, so already it's a hard story for me to be "okay with". But, in the story the lion likes his home and likes all the nice people that come and say hi to him.
One day his door is left open and the lion decides to go say hi to all his friends. He thinks it would be nice because they always come see him so he wants to return the favor.
But, once he's out on the street, all the friendly people who visit him aren't so friendly. In fact, they run away from him.
Poor lion, it appears that he's going to meet with a pretty tragic end. But, perhaps there's one person that will be nice to him...
SPOILER
The story is basically about a lion who lives in an enclosure in the middle of the city. Now, I'm not a fan of zoos, cages or things like that, so already it's a hard story for me to be "okay with". But, in the story the lion likes his home and likes all the nice people that come and say hi to him.
One day his door is left open and the lion decides to go say hi to all his friends. He thinks it would be nice because they always come see him so he wants to return the favor.
But, once he's out on the street, all the friendly people who visit him aren't so friendly. In fact, they run away from him.
Poor lion, it appears that he's going to meet with a pretty tragic end. But, perhaps there's one person that will be nice to him...
SPOILER
January 8, 2015
Un leu de la grădina zoologică a ieşit la plimbare pe poarta lăsată deschisă din întâmplare. Leul este mirat de ce toată lumea care îl saluta şi se comporta frumos la zoo, acum ţipă, fuge, aruncă în el cu ce apucă şi chiar au venit pompierii să-l prindă. "Probabil aşa se comportă ei mereu atunci când nu sunt la zoo" se gândeşte Leul Fericit. Doar Francois, fiul supraveghetorului de animale, îl salută calm şi îi propune leului să facă o plimbare împreună înapoi la grădina zoologică. De atunci, chiar dacă lasă cineva poarta deschisă, leul nu mai vrea să iasă în oraş, se simte mai bine aici, la zoo.
Povestea e interesantă, cu multe înţelesuri, aproape filosofică. Dar ilustraţiile sunt, după gustul meu, îngrozitor de urâte şi neatrăgătoare.
Povestea e interesantă, cu multe înţelesuri, aproape filosofică. Dar ilustraţiile sunt, după gustul meu, îngrozitor de urâte şi neatrăgătoare.
August 29, 2008
Good vocabulary and sentence structure, as is often the case with children's classics when compared to the modern stuff. My daughter didn't appreciate the humor in this one; perhaps she is not yet old enough. I won't mentio to my husband that I read it because he gets grumpy about all those children's stories that teach kids that ferocious beasts are cuddly creatures to be petted. Nevertheless, I don't think she'll be leaping the moat at the zoo.
June 12, 2011
Originally published in 1954, this title falls into the realm of classic picture book literature that the librarian in me cannot deny. A happy lion (as the title may suggest) lives in a zoo in a park where he is visited by friends. One morning his house door is left open so he decides to go visiting his friends in their homes. How curious a world it is outside of his zoo home! This is a timeless story that my early elementary daughters enjoyed. Charming!
July 3, 2012
enjoyed reading this to my daughter. a classic. only thing i would change is the premise - not sure that I agree that the lion is so happy because he's in a nice French zoo instead of the wilds of an African savannah. But I suppose it's a bit dated.
January 11, 2011
Louise Fatio (1904-1993) might have been hinting towards stereotyping when he wrote this book. When the lion escapes from his looking looking for friends, he can't figure out why the humans aren't treating him like they do when he is at the zoo. Once he is out everyone runs away from him, when all he wants is people to say hello to him like they do at the zoo. Later in the book when he finally finds a friend in the zookeepers son, who takes him back to the zoo.
June 6, 2023
The more titles I read by Fatio and Duvoisin, the more I love this duo!
Delightful scenes of France, a happy lion that strolls around town for a day, and a sweet ending. What more could you want!
Ages: 3 - 8
Cleanliness: nothing to note.
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Delightful scenes of France, a happy lion that strolls around town for a day, and a sweet ending. What more could you want!
Ages: 3 - 8
Cleanliness: nothing to note.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! And be sure to check out my bio page to learn a little about me and the Picture Book/Chapter Book Calendars I sell on Etsy!
October 11, 2020
We LOVED the Happy Lion. Funnily right after we read it we ended up with a print from the book framed on one of the walls in our house without even recognizing the connection at first.
Loved this one which my three year old picked up randomly at the library. Sweet story translated from the French of a lion who gets out of the zoo one day, and upon seeing all his friends in the City can't figure out why they are acting so strange - yelling and screaming instead of acting calm and friendly as they usually do. The curiosity and confusion of the lion is well played and the well balanced and enaging illustrations really bring the story to life. Funny, interesting, and lovely, would highly recommend. My only qualm was the presentation of the zoo as this great place for animals to be, in lieu of free or in their natural habitat, which isn't a great way to look at zoos.
Loved this one which my three year old picked up randomly at the library. Sweet story translated from the French of a lion who gets out of the zoo one day, and upon seeing all his friends in the City can't figure out why they are acting so strange - yelling and screaming instead of acting calm and friendly as they usually do. The curiosity and confusion of the lion is well played and the well balanced and enaging illustrations really bring the story to life. Funny, interesting, and lovely, would highly recommend. My only qualm was the presentation of the zoo as this great place for animals to be, in lieu of free or in their natural habitat, which isn't a great way to look at zoos.
December 15, 2021
A touching story about subjugation and conformity. OR ELSE.
January 16, 2021
A sweet story, beautifully illustrated
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September 1, 2012I really enojoyed The Happy Lion. It had a cute twist on it that can be related to society today. Everyone was friends with the Lion at the zoo, but outside of the zoo he only had one true friend that stuck with him. It kept me interested and had a postitve vibe that would be fun to share in a classroom. I would highly recommend this folktale to all ages.
April 20, 2017
What happens when a member of the oppressed class leaves the carefully conscripted walls society has lain around him and tries to mingle with his oppressors as equals?
They freak out of course, until he's back safe in his place. Then everyone is all nice again.
They freak out of course, until he's back safe in his place. Then everyone is all nice again.
January 11, 2008
My sister says that nephew James just loves this book.
December 19, 2016
Read during pre-k class visit on 1/17/13: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...
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July 12, 2013Thoroughly enjoyable.
November 9, 2017
Another gift for the kids - and another favorite from childhood.
January 15, 2022
The Happy Lion (Happy Lion) by Louise Fatio, Illustrator Roger Duvoisin- Hindi language translation by Vidyushak- The book narrates the story of a lion who lives in a separate enclosure with brown roof and grey shutters, rock garden surrounded by a moat with flower beds and band stand in the Zoo in a city of France. Lion has identified people who wish him “Hi” every day. These are first, Francois, the Lion Keeper’s son, second, Monsieur Dupont, school master, third, Madam Pinson who knitted all day by the bench on the bandstand. In summer months, waltz and polka was played by masters on the bandstad. Lion had a taste for music. The lion is sweet, kind, innocent and optimistic. One day his door is left open and the lion decides to go out & say “Hi” to all his friends. He thinks it would be nice because they always come see him so he wants to return the favor. But, once he's out on the street, all the friendly people Mon. Dupont, Madam Pinson run away from him. Whichever street the Poor lion moves is empty. The Fire Wan is called to control, catch and bring back the lion. When the Wan arrives, Francois meets the lion on his way from school. He puts is hand on the shoulder of the lion and they walk back to the zoo. I have read the Hindi language translation of this book. The coloured illustrations help the reader to relate to the story.
November 22, 2019
A man I know has written a children's book and has asked my opinion. I was not that keen and so I declined, as I feared I might offend.
Instead, I thought I would recommend a book from my childhood which I also read to my children. I selected this book.
It is an artful, amusing and simply articulated tale that carries an understated encouragement towards better behaviour. Sort of thing one would look for in a children's book. It is beautifully illustrated.
It seems the moral of the story was too understated for many reviewers on this site. And the zoo police postings are just wretched hand wringing. Enjoy and perhaps discuss the morality of zoos with your children afterwards. Jesus wept.
Instead, I thought I would recommend a book from my childhood which I also read to my children. I selected this book.
It is an artful, amusing and simply articulated tale that carries an understated encouragement towards better behaviour. Sort of thing one would look for in a children's book. It is beautifully illustrated.
It seems the moral of the story was too understated for many reviewers on this site. And the zoo police postings are just wretched hand wringing. Enjoy and perhaps discuss the morality of zoos with your children afterwards. Jesus wept.
January 23, 2023
This was a very cute story about a lion in a French zoo who loves seeing people come and say hello to him. But then one day the zoo keeper accidently leaves the door open and the happy lion goes out, hoping to find the friends who come to the zoo and repay the visit. But he soon discovers that people are very frightened of him and doesn't understand why everybody is acting differently towards him outside of the zoo. What's the problem with people? The Happy Lion (1954) by Louise Fatio and pictures by Roger Duvoisin is a wonderful story that I would recommend to anyone who loves lions or fun animal stories. My rating - 4/5
November 21, 2017
"Bonjour, Happy Lion!" the people call to the lion in the zoo. The zoo is in park in a lovely French town. He was a very happy lion. All of his friends would come to greet him on their way through the park. One day, his door to his house was left open by the zoo keeper. The lion decided he would take a stroll through the town and return his friends' visits. I think you can guess how that went.. 🦁😳😱 This bright classic was first published in 1954. #kidsbooksworthreading #kidsbook #kidsbooks #kidlit #childrensliterature #picturebook #kidsbookstagram #happylion #louisefatio #rogerduvoisin
November 30, 2017
The afternoon adventures of a lion in a small village in France, when the keeper forgets to close the cage.
This Weston Woods Studios video production brings this classic to wonderful life. The illustrations inspire the animation. The narrator's soft tones keep the light-hearted tone, and pleasure of the lion's day out in the city meeting all of those that pass his enclosure daily--and their inevitable shock, and fear, until Francoise greets him, and all is well.
I love what Weston Woods has done for many children's books.
This Weston Woods Studios video production brings this classic to wonderful life. The illustrations inspire the animation. The narrator's soft tones keep the light-hearted tone, and pleasure of the lion's day out in the city meeting all of those that pass his enclosure daily--and their inevitable shock, and fear, until Francoise greets him, and all is well.
I love what Weston Woods has done for many children's books.
May 20, 2019
This is a tough one to review - the classic drawing style is simple but lovely, and the Happy Lion makes for a great lead character.
It is a very old fashioned tale though, which features some ideas that wouldn't really be cool in today's world, namely as that of a lion being happier all alone in a zoo as opposed to its natural habitat. You can also read some more sinister metaphors if you're that way inclined (see some of the other reviews).
It is however a cute and quite funny read, and one that my daughter enjoys very much.
It is a very old fashioned tale though, which features some ideas that wouldn't really be cool in today's world, namely as that of a lion being happier all alone in a zoo as opposed to its natural habitat. You can also read some more sinister metaphors if you're that way inclined (see some of the other reviews).
It is however a cute and quite funny read, and one that my daughter enjoys very much.
August 8, 2019
The storyline is lovely, the illustrations charming (in an old-fashioned way) - but it just feels wrong in this day & age to have a "Happy Lion" living in such a sparse, solitary zoo enclosure. The French setting would fascinate students, much in the way Mr. Chicken Goes to Paris does, but the animals in captivity element gives me mixed feelings about the book.
June 22, 2022
In a zoo in France a lion had his own house with a rock garden all around. He was greeted by visitors every day who called out, "Hello, Happy Lion." He was happy indeed, until the day the zookeeper forgot to lock the door to his caged area. The lion decided to take a stroll through town to greet his friends, but they all were so shocked and afraid of him. He didn't understand it and wondered what all the commotion was about, especially when the firetruck arrived with a hose.
This is a lovely story with a happy ending for the lion. Nicely illustrated.
This is a lovely story with a happy ending for the lion. Nicely illustrated.
October 23, 2019
Because of some reason I do not understand, the soon to be 5 year old man really liked this book. His father thought it was meh, mainly becuse I really dont like the type of zoos that are depicted in the story. But the son liked it, so 4 stars it is. I Wonder if it was because the lion and the rest of the cast said Bonjour a lot, and he liked the sound of that. He seems to be interested in languages for some reason. And he do like lions.
August 27, 2024
The story oi The Happy Lion was published in 1954 and remains an excellent story for children and adults to share with each other. The lion is a favorite among the French people who go to visit him in the zoo, but when he notices the door is open to his cage and decides to walk out and visit his friends, it becomes a different story. This is a timeless tale of friendship and being who you are. The book was a favorite of mine when school started each year.
August 13, 2018
One day the happy lion sees an open door and decides to go visit all of his daily friends, but he just can't understand why they seem so startled to see him.
I checked this book out from the library, because it was recommended as a good "H" read for Kinder. I agree. It has additional "h" words to be on the hear out for, as well as good opportunities for prediction and understanding.
I checked this book out from the library, because it was recommended as a good "H" read for Kinder. I agree. It has additional "h" words to be on the hear out for, as well as good opportunities for prediction and understanding.
February 16, 2021
This was a sweet and short story! I like that it had such friendly people who would say hello to a lion, but of course that changes when that lion is not behind a zoo gate. But a sweet boy who saw the lion for who he was, wasn't afraid and resolved what could have been a sad scenario. Very very cute!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews