Chloe and the Lion (2012) - Mac Barnett and Adam Rex

Let me start by saying that Mac Barnett is one of my favorite children’s authors and Adam Rex one of my favorite children’s illustrators. And while Chloe and the Lion is a fun, clever and intelligent children’s book, it simply does not work for a Storytime setting.

First, the book is 48 pages long, rather than the more standard 32. That wouldn’t necessarily make the book problematic, but the story is quite complex with lots of starts and stops in the form of Barnett and Rex appearing throughout the story (as clay figures), arguing over parts of the story. Most of the children we have in Storytime are on the younger side and would not understand the interaction of the creators; they’d only know that these scenes interrupt the story.

Also too many pages consist of multiple panels more appropriate to a graphic novel format. This makes the visual elements too small for large groups. The book contains very few opportunities (if any) for group participation. While Chloe and the Lion would make a great story for some one-on-one situations (or even better, for independent reading), it simply does not work for a Storytime situation.

Storytelling  2
Color Attractiveness  2
Size of Book  2
Text Size  1
Illustrations 2
Participation Potential  1
Overall Appropriateness for Storytime 1.5