Great story based on an actual statue. Beautifully illustrated and collaged. ( )

Originally published in France as Un Lion à Paris, and translated into English for the London-based Tate Publishing, this beautiful picture-book follows a lion who, becoming bored in his grasslands home, decides to travel to the city of lights. Here he sees many extraordinary things, experiences a range of emotions, from feelings of alienation at this strange new place to joy at the sense of connection to those around him. Eventually, he settles down in the center of the Place Denfert-Rochereau, where he feels happy and decides to stay...

A massively oversized book, almost twice the size of an average picture-book, A Lion in Paris opens and is meant to be perused horizontally, rather than vertically. It is a visually arresting book, from its unusual size and orientation, to its expressive collage-style illustrations. Beatrice Alemagna mixes all sorts of elements on the page, and seems particularly fond of putting photographs of people's faces and heads on top of drawn/painted bodies. The lion's face is almost cartoon-like, but somehow manages to convey his changing emotional state. With the exception of the depiction of the Mona Lisa in the Louvre - talk about false advertising! Alemagna makes it look like the painting is huge, dominating the wall on which it hangs, rather than being practically the size of a postage stamp, compared to the vast blank wall on which it is to be found in real life - I loved everything about this book. It is not pretty, in any conventional sense, but it is beautiful, and offers so many interesting visual details, on every page. As someone with a great fondness for Patience and Fortitude - the stone lions that guard the 42nd Street New York Public Library - I appreciated the homage Alemagna created here, to the stone lion standing in the Place Denfert-Rochereau. Recommended to anyone looking for picture-books set in Paris, and featuring the icons of that city, as well as to fans of this immensely talented picture-book creator. ( )

This is an adorable story about a lion that makes his way over to Paris where he explores the city and goes on the train, walks by a lake, engages with some people, and decides to stay in Paris.

One day a lion, bored of his native savannah decides to take a train to Paris. When he arrives and starts touring the city, on foot and via the métro he is surprised and disappointed to discover that nobody seems to notice him. He visits some of the most popular spots of the city, from the Café de Flore in St-Germain to the pont des Arts, centre Pompidou, the Louvre, Sacré-Coeur and the Eiffel tower, and finally discovers a structure which seems to be awaiting his arrival, so he climbs on the base and decides to stay once he sees that the Parisians are cheered to see him there.

Alemagna created this story based on the real life statue of the lion at Denfert-Rochereau, which is much loved by Parisians. This large book opens up vertically with imaginative illustrations that combine a mixture of collage elements from magazines from the 50s with her own fresh and spontaneous drawings for a truly unexpected result which encourages the reader to pore over the illustrations. I fell in love with this book and was tempted to buy my own copy until I saw the price and decided I'd just hold on to my library loan for a while. A truly inspiring book and a fun and lighthearted way to visit or re-visit Paris. ( )

Yup! ( )