THE VERY HUNGRY LION

Singam the lion is outwitted by a sparrow, a lamb, and a deer, each of whom plays on his greed and hunger to escape being eaten. It's a familiar story, well-rendered and lively, but the star of the book is not the tale, but the book's production: If tasty food has been called toothsome, then by extension, this tale of folk wisdom is handsome, for it is an extremely pleasant book to hold and page through. Pages of paper made from rice husks and cotton fibers sport vibrant six-color, silk-screened images that reflect the Warli tradition of painting from western India. The lesson of the story—if an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is—is valuable, but the care lavished on the project showcases bookmaking more than storytelling. (Picture book/folklore. 5-8)