While visiting Chicago a couple weekends ago, we stopped into to a few antique markets. I almost bought a scientific 3-d wall hanging of the human ear and it’s parts but my boyfriend luckily pulled me away. I was sad to not have found a treasure and while waiting for friends to finish at the register I looked through a few books on a shelf and then found this one! It was a good find. The title on the cover is embossed and the copyright is 1953. The pen and watercolor illustrations are beautiful! The story of this lazy lion, Rollo, is pretty funny. It’s about a lion who doesn’t want to do anything except lay around. Then a film crew on a movie shoot finds him and tries to use him in the movie but since he just sits there they decide the only good place for him is the zoo. Rollo loves the zoo where he just lays down all day and eats. The moral of the story- some lions love being in cages and its ok if you’re lazy because there will always be a place for you. The illustrator Jan B. Balet seems to have illustrated a number of books that you can get on ebay or amazon sellers. I just bought a signed one for ten dollars. (They don’t have pictures of the covers but this site does.) This book originally came with a pop-out put together versions of the characters called a Slottie Toy, but mine was missing sadly. I’ll be on the look-out for more of Jan’s work.

© Julia Rothman 2007