Hello, friends! Today’s book is Caring For Your Lion, written by Tammi Sauer and illustrated by Troy Cummings, a hilarious and sweet instructional picture book on the care and feeding of an unexpected pet lion.

When the Pet Delivery service arrives, a young boy is surprised to find that, instead of the kitten he ordered, he has been shipped a pet lion instead. Thankfully, a very helpful instruction manual has been included with the unexpected (and enormous) pet, filled with tips (such as, try not to look like a zebra. Or a gazelle. Or a bunny) and diagrams (such as how to make the lion sneeze you out in case you are accidentally eaten). And though having a lion for a pet comes with plenty of frustrations, the boy finds that once they get to know each other, the lion just may be the perfect pet for him.

This was a wonderfully silly book with a great narrative style and some fantastically funny art. The instruction-book-style text makes for amusingly droll comedy, playing the enthusiastic step-by-step instructions off the sharp and witty visual gags of the 60’s cartoon-inspired art. The illustrations themselves are colorful and clever, making the kind of expressive and absurd jokes that kids of all ages can enjoy. The length is great, and JJ and I really enjoyed this one. A funny, wacky story to chuckle over together, and it’s Baby Bookworm approved!