The determined lion set out to brighten this gray place.
As the new year begins, we set goals and have a strategy to reach them. Sometimes unexpected circumstances and “unusual” people come into lives that surprisingly help us… and sometimes they even give us a new and better perspective! Such is the case in this book, Guion the Lion.
Introducing Our Featured Friend: Guion the Lion, A Colorful World
Written by Rebecca Wilson Macsovits, Illustrated by Joseba Morales
When Guion (rhymes with Lion), a colorful Lion, jumps into the terrain of the Savannah, he discovers something odd: color is missing! He tries to fix the bleak terrain by first painting a rock, but he cannot get the color to stick.
Maybe the color got turned off, like a light switch. I just need to flip it back on.
But where could it be?
The determined lion set out to brighten this gray place.
On his search for the color switch, he meets Ostrich whose head is stuck in the ground, literally. Guion is the only one who stops to help her and subtly some of his color rubs off on to her.
Next he meets Pangolin who is in a rush to go to the river. Hesitant at first to accept Guion’s help, Pangolin looks at the lion’s kind eyes, and then jumps onto his colorful back. Again, Guion’s color begins to overflow onto this creature too.
Lastly, he encounters a frenzied monkey whose hunger outweighs his reserve to accept Guion’s help to get across the river to the fruit tree. Still on the search for the color switch, Guion the Lion doesn’t even notice that Monkey also took on some color.
Discouraged, Guion lies down under the night sky, determined to continue his search in the morning.
Dawn brings much joy as the animals’ laughter wakes Guion to the beautiful sight of the COLORFUL animals racing towards him. One by one, starting with Monkey, the animals explain to Guion what happened:
“Elephant couldn’t reach the fruit, so I handed him one.
Suddenly, green spilled over his trunk and danced up my arm!”
Story after story shows Guion that they DID find “the color switch” and turned it on . . .one kind act at a time.
Inviting You to Become FRIENDS with Guion the Lion:
Feel, Relate, Imagine, Explore, Navigate, Develop, Share
Select a few activities from the kid-friendly book guide while reading this fun story:
F- Do you ever feel hesitant to offer or accept help from someone who’s quite different than yourself- like the animals initially felt when accepting Guion’s help?
R- Can you relate to Ostrich, Pangolin, and Monkey when they were glad that they received help from Guion the Lion even though he was so different then they were?
I- Imagine that you could be any animal in the Savannah and any color. What would you pick? How could you help another animal friend? Draw and color your choice.
E- Explore a group of people that are different than you. Research their customs, clothing, and culture. Make a compare/contrast chart listing your findings.
N- Navigate your way through the story by designing a map of Guion’s search for “the color switch”. Include the characters he encountered, places he went, and outcome of the story.
D- Develop an “acts of kindness” list of ways to help others while: playing at recess, learning in the classroom, eating in the lunchroom, riding the bus, shopping at stores, etc. Make your world more colorful by being YOU and reaching out to others!
S- Share your favorite part of the story with the class.
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