LEO THE LION
by Gerda Wagener & translated by Nina Ignatowicz & illustrated by Reinhard Michl
A German story about a lonely lion who longs to be petted like a cat. Alas! most people are terrified of him, while the zoo-keeper wants him to line up for a daily pat: ``One lion more or less won't make much difference.'' Leo finally gets the affection he craves from a lioness. This doesn't have quite the delicious, whimsical irony of Fatio's The Happy Lion (1954), but it's smoothly told, warmly depicts a childlike need for attention, and is satisfyingly comic—especially its lively, expressive illustrations.~(Picture book. 4-8)