Kim Xiong,
The Little Stone Lion
Heryin, 2006

Ages 4-7

A little lion with an elephant memory? It certainly seems to be the case with the stone lion which guards the small Chinese village portrayed in Kim Xiong's The Little Stone Lion.

As the village's only guardian spirit, the little statue preserves the memories of each and every one of its inhabitants—and of anyone who has ever lived there... Their memories are safely carved in the stone-shaped heart of their guardian. The little lion has witnessed laughter and tears, births and deaths, and everything in between... Some leave and forget him. Others stay and bring him food during holiday celebrations. He forgets no one: a gentle reminder about the importance of remembering and honoring our past and our roots.

This little gem by author/illustrator Kim Xiong, renowned in China for his poetry-prose as well as his paintings, is a good example of his distinctive poetic prose and style of line and ink images. The illustrations are the high point of the story and have a very powerful effect. The overall gray, darker stone-tones suddenly and surprisingly make way for little islands of color: a bird, a lamp, a bowl of food, a little girl's red dress...

For more sensitive children, this may well become a favorite; and the little round-eyed, inquisitive lion might rest his gaze upon them for years to come.

Aline Pereira
June 2006