One night, one lion, one cake

Lion Guards the Cake
by Ruth Paul

You’ve seen those stone lions that stand as guardians at entrances. You may even have a pair on your gateposts. But do you know what they may get up to during the night?
    This is a story of one night, and one such lion who takes his role of guardian very seriously.

   Lion sits above the yard, 
   Hour by hour, keeping guard.
   But in the dusk he slips his post,
   quietly, like a golden ghost,
   and goes to where he’s needed most.

    The title and the cover give clues about what this defender of the household is up to on this particular night.
    The rhyme and metre of the text are bouncy and appealing with recurring lines that encourage even the littlest listeners to participate in the telling.
    As with all picture books from Scholastic New Zealand, the 32 pages are beautifully laid out and illustrated with full-colour full-page pictures that add detail to the text.
    This story of Lion’s night-time dedication to duty, written and illustrated by Ruth Paul, is bound to be a much requested bedtime favourite of many children.

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Review by Emily R

Title: Lion Guards the Cake
Author: Ruth Paul
Publisher: Scholastic New Zealand
ISBN: 9781775437451
RRP: $19.99
Available: bookshops