PreS-Gr 2-Monty is a slender, sinewy lion with a thick, red-gold mane. His meerkat friends like to play with it, tugging and tickling him until he "rumbles, grumbles, and rolls." Unfortunately his mane gets dirty and matted, and the efforts of the meerkats to restore its former splendor with braids and feathers only irritate Monty. He storms off to look at his reflection in the water hole and is lured closer by a crocodile's honeyed words. Monty barely escapes the fearsome jaws that bite a hunk out of his mane. Running for home, he realizes too late that he has led the crocodile straight to his little friends. "Even though the meerkats mess up Monty's mane sometimes, he can't let the crocodile eat them!" In a magnificent vertical spread the lion roars. The terrified croc flees, and Monty's friends are saved. O'Neill's mixed-media artwork uses bits of maps on the lion's paws, the crocodile's scales, and the birds' wings. The jungle itself is minimally evoked by green scribbles and leaf fragments, while the brown water where the crocodile lurks is strewn with bones and fish skeletons. Innovative artwork and flowing, sometimes alliterative text make this an unusually appealing story of courage and friendship.-Mary Jean Smith, formerly at Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Lion Monty is proud of his mane--it is impressive in O'Neill's vibrant (sometimes hard-to-decipher) mixed-media illustrations. He lets meerkats play in his tresses (to better hear their praise), but when his mane becomes dirty, Monty is mad. His vanity endangers his friends; luckily, he gets over himself in time to save his meerkat pals. Good storytime fodder. (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A lion named Monty is so proud of his mane that he nearly causes disaster for himself and his little meerkat friends.A charming double-page spread shows Monty relaxing on his back and happily fiddling with a lock of his autumn-hued tresses with one padded paw. The large-print text reads, "Meet Monty, King of the Jungle. Monty loves his long, curly, beautiful mane. No one else has a mane quite like his. Monty thinks it's magnificent." The next few pages show Monty allowing about a dozen tiny meerkats to play in and around his mane, until the mane becomes "dirty and matted!" In an especially amusing sequence, the meerkats try to make amends by braiding Monty's mane and decorating it with feathers, to no avail. As he stalks off to the watering hole, one little meerkat says timidly, "Remember to be careful of the." Of what? Of the "little creature" in the water who expresses admiration for Monty's mane and invites the lion to "come a little closer"? The suspense builds to a "SNAP!" that readers will anticipate, as the concealed crocodile opens its scary but comical pointy-toothed jaw. Little ones will enjoy the animated scenes, the threatening but ineffectual crocodile, and a vertical two-page spread that deliciously illustrates the lion's mighty, capitalized "ROARS!" The colorful illustrations are enhanced by tiny scraps of newsprint and maps. The tried-and-true fable about curbing vanity and appreciating friends enjoys a fresh touch with these ebullient African animals. (Picture book. 2-5) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.