Synopses & Reviews
Illustrated in full color. Beloved storyteller Verna Aardema is at her finest in this African animal tale, weaving charm and suspense with a delightfully satisfying resolution. Peering down from her treetop perch, a lonely lioness admires the noisily cheeping clan of Mother Ostrich and thinks, "I would be happy to have just one child." So she leaps down, gurum! and steals all four ostrich chicks. Accepting the lioness as their mother, the chicks follow right behind he. Mother Ostrich is frantic! As she chases after the lioness, she enlists the help of gazelle, hyena, jackal, and mongoose. But which one can help her to get her chicks back? With art by Yumi Heo that blends primitive, African, and folk styles, The Lonely Lioness and the Ostrich Chicks is a captivating picture book destined to be a classic.
About the Author
Verna Aardema grew up in New Era, Michigan as the third in a family of nine children. A cedar swamp in the back of her house served as her inspiration and retreat as a young aspiring writer. At Michigan State College, Verna took many writing courses, but none that were aimed at writing for children. She didn't think about the children's book field until many years later, when she had to make up stories to get her baby daughter to eat. Verna writes mostly African folktales because of her fascination with that infinitely diverse continent. Out of its jungles, deserts, and great plains have come some of the most unusual and charming folktales in the world. As of today, Verna has published over 25 books and is still working on more. Her books have been translated into French, Spanish, Dutch, Japanese, Chinese and Afrikaans.
Verna lives in North Fort Myers, Florida, with her husband, Albert.