Lionel and the Lion’s Share

PreS-K–Lionel has trouble sharing. He thinks that because he is a lion, he gets the “lion’s share.” He snatches all the instruments from the music shop, all the hats from the hat shop, all the balloons from the balloon cart, and finally the last straw is when he eats all the cake at a birthday party. Can Lionel make things better? Can he make it up to his friends? Sheehan’s debut illustrations are lively and energetic, with text placed in an easy-to-read format. The color palette is bright, using background illustrations on some pages and a white background on others. The animals’ facial expression and body language clearly show the characters’ feelings at each stage of the story. Readers witness Lionel and his not-so-brilliant choices and are able to see the impact of his decisions on those around him. This story is a solid addition for elementary libraries as it explores friendship, social interaction, and emotions as well as learning points such as days of the week, highlighting Lionel’s repetitive non sharing behavior, shapes, and counting of purchases.