copyright 1963; Harper & Row publishers, New York; hardbound; very good condition with unmarked pages except for scrip note in front (pic); dust jacket very good with light ageing.
description -
Shel Silverstein's first children's book, Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back—a whimsical tale of self-discovery and marshmallows. Is a famous, successful, and admired lion a happy lion? Or is he a lion at all? Written and drawn with wit and gusto, Shel Silverstein's modern fable speaks not only to children but to us all!
plot -
An unnamed young lion is living in the jungle somewhere in Africa. One night, he and the other lions are awakened by the sound of a gunshot. All the lions run away, except for the young lion, who is confused when one of the lions tells him that hunters are coming because he doesn't know what a hunter is. However, he thinks he likes the sound of the word "hunters," so he hides in the tall grass to spy on the hunters as they pass by wearing red caps and carrying funny sticks that make loud noises (obviously guns). The young lion likes their looks, so when a solo hunter comes by, he stands up, says hello, and tries to make friends. This offends the hunter's sense of the proper relationship between lion and hunter, and the hunter says he will shoot the young lion.
When the hunter finds that he has not loaded his rifle, the young lion decides he does not like the hunter after all and eats him up, red cap and all. He tries to eat the gun and the bullets, as well, but finds he cannot chew them... so instead, he brings them to the other lions. The old lion tells him to throw them away, but the young lion shoots the gun with his tail, causing the other lions to flee. They are angry with the young lion when they discover that he is the one shooting. However, the young lion likes shooting the gun so much that he practices to become the best shot in the whole world...