Honey. .. Honey. .. Lion!: A Story from Africa (review)

In this comical tale of symbiosis gone awry, the honey badger, who relies upon the honeyguide bird to lead him to a beehive and then shares the spoils with his avian partner, breaks his part of the age-old agreement and consumes an entire hive himself. Honeyguide decides to teach Badger a lesson; when he wakes the next morning, she calls to him ("Honey, honey, honey!"), then leads him on an extensive route over roots, through water, over a termite mound, across a hollow log, through a stand of papyrus, across a field of grass, and, finally, under an acacia tree . . . and straight into the king of the jungle. The lion then chases the honey badger all the way back to his burrow, where, fortunately, the hole is just deep enough to protect him from the lion's paw. The story, related in casual prose, is both easygoing and intriguing, and it offers a rich sense of the animal kingdom as creatures large and small figure into the tale as both participants and onlookers. Though Lion's hiding spot is cleverly hidden behind an attached flap of paper, the book's title pretty much takes away the element of surprise that this would otherwise provide. Brett offers her usual intricately detailed, if somewhat slightly stiff, cast of beasts and birds in decoratively bordered spreads; various found objects (feathers, pebbles, twigs) are incorporated into the framing design. This is an excellent readaloud selection, given the abundance of sound effects included in the chase across the bush, as well as a rewarding tale of justice.