Book Review: Glory the Lion Cub and the Dunnos by Marianne Parry

Glory the Lion Cub and the Dunnos by Marianne Parry is a collection of three fables for children. In the first story there is Glory, an inquisitive lion cub who would like to have his fur patterned like the cheetah, the zebra and the snake as he meets each one. He also wants to know their names but he is amazed to find that each share the same one – ‘Dunno’! When Glory meets a young elephant with the same name, but with two ‘tails’, he is even more intrigued. He quickly discovers that mud baths are not suitable for lions but it is many years before he realizes what ‘Dunno’ means. 

In the second tale there is Magnus, a young elephant who decides that he would like to be a doctor. As he comes across sick or injured animals, he tries to make them better using methods he has seen other creatures use. The patients pretend to be very grateful and Magnus is happy with himself. Gradually, however, he learns that each animal has their own type of medicine and when a young cow elephant catches his eye, he decides he just wants to be a grown-up elephant. 

Lastly, there is Benedict. This dark brown bear from North America who is amazed to learn that other bears are white and he listens eagerly to how polar bears can travel across ice. When he tries to tell his family, they laugh at him and he wonders if he has been dreaming. 

Glory the Lion Cub and the Dunnos is a great book for helping teach about fables. It was nice to read some that I have not already encountered. I think young children will enjoy hearing, or reading, these tales. The stories are nothing groundbreaking, but they are good fun and offer the moral lessons as one expects in a classic fable. Those that are animal mad (like my daughter) will particularly enjoy this book. I think readers that enjoy hearing new fables and lessons from around the world will also appreciate the book. I am going to share this book with my children’s school, because their theme for the year is stories from around the world, and this would be a perfect book for use in the lower grades.