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Silverstein’s lion story is now fifty years old. Wrapped in a new colored dust jacket, it tells how a young lion becomes a sharpshooter, first to protect himself and the other lions from hunters, then to make money (and marshmallows) while entertaining the masses.
As he tries to fit in by getting manicures and haircuts and new clothes, he slowly becomes a man. As he acts more like a human, he forgets who he is; and because he has everything he wants and he can do whatever he wants (including thousands of elevator rides), he grows bored. “I’m tired of signing autographs and I’m tired of everything! I want to do something new!” When Finchfinger the circus man suggests they take a trip to Africa to do a little hunting, Lafcadio is forced to choose between shooting a lion or being eaten by a lion. A lion and a hunter he may be, but now that Lafcadio has lost his desire to be a lion and a hunter, he wanders off to a destination unknown.
There is a reference to beer and cigars in the story, but this book would be a dramatic read-loud for a class or an attention-grabbing choice for a children’s book club. Lafcadio is a lion to look up to because he is brave and determined and kind (at times), and he struggles with his identity and place in life, just like we all do. The ending leaves us hanging, but it makes the reader hope and wonder, which all good stories do.
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Lafcadio, the Lion who Shot Back