Published by Templar

Summary: Monty the lion usually lets his meerkat friends play with his magnificent mane.  But one day they go too far with their braiding and decorating, and Monty has had enough.  He stomps off to the water hole, where a crocodile lures him closer by complimenting him on his mane.  The crocodile tries to take a bite, but only gets a mouthful of mane.  Monty runs away, the crocodile in hot pursuit, only to realize too late that he’s led the crocodile right to the meerkats.  With a tremendous “ROAR!”, Monty scares off the crocodile, and is happy to let his friends play in his mane once again.

Pros:  A nice story about friendship and loyalty, with magnificent illustrations.  The two-page spread of Monty’s roar is suitable for framing.

Cons:  I read this to several classes of kindergarteners and they seemed a bit lukewarm about it.  I liked the pictures better than the story.