Jill, the young girl with a love for happy endings and a penchant for interfering in her story-books, whose first meta-fictional adventure was chronicled in Jill & Dragon, returns in this second picture-book. Reading a story about the circus with her canine companion Dog, Jill is dismayed when the lion in her book begins to weep, and speaks to her from the page, telling her that he has been kidnapped from the jungle, and that his crown has been stolen by the circus-master. Jumping in to the book, Jill and Dog struggle to free Lion, get his crown back, and return him to his home...

Like its predecessor, Jill & Lion pairs an engaging meta-fictional tale, one in which the main character is both reader and heroine, with immensely appealing illustrations. I really enjoy Lesley Barnes' artwork, and wish that Tate Publishing, based in London, included some information on the colophon as to the media used, the way that many American publishers do. It looks to be some kind of collage, or perhaps some kind of block-printing? Whatever the case may be, the result is both stylized and expressive, with a lovely color palette that is both subtle and vivid, and a real sense of motion and energy on each page. Children who enjoy adventure stories, or meta-fictional tales about characters who get involved in their books, will appreciate Jill & Lion, as will anyone who read Jill's first adventure. ( )