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The Legend of Leo: A Dandy-Lion Tale
Meet Leo: part dandelion, part lion, ALL ego. This laugh-out-loud read-aloud proves even a weed can have delusions of grandeur. ROAR!
This is the tale of Leo, an ordinary dandelion…
I beg your pardon! I am anything but ordinary. I am a dande-LION, king of all beings. Golden-maned, wise, and humble, I rule over all. See how this beast bows before me?
Umm, I believe that cat is simply taking a nap on you.
Nonsense. This wise reader knows I am magnificent. ROAR!
*GASP* Why are you laughing? Stop that laughter!
The Legend of Leo has fun poking fun at our collective desire to think ourselves special and is tailor-made for reading aloud.
Categories: picture book
Themes: Dandelion; ego; flower; weed; crabgrass; Frasier; read aloud; humorous; funny; ego; self-image; perception; performance; royalty; lion social-emotional learning
Publishing date: June 30th 2026
ISBN: 9781958325513 (Hardback)
ISBN: 9781958325520 (E-book)
Hardback: $18.99 US
32 pages; 10 x 9 inches,
Age: 4 – 8 years; Grade: K- Gr3
AUTHOR: Monica Acker
ILLUSTRATOR: Mikel Valverde
SELLING POINTS
Available at your favorite bookstores or online retailers. For WHOLESALE please order through your Hachette account. Also available at any other library or other distributors, like Brodart, Follett, or Ingram, etc.
What readers think about The Legend of Leo: A Dandy-Lion Tale ★★★★★
“Leo fancies himself the king of “his” jungle. And he expects to be treated like royalty, but Crabby Crabgrass seems determined to set Leo straight—he is nothing more than a weed. Some picture books might turn this story into a lesson for Leo who is a bit over-confident. Or is he? What I like about this story is that no matter what happens to Leo, and no matter how much truth-telling Crabgrass lays on him, he never stops believing in himself—even when his beautiful golden mane turns silver. What I love about the story is the humor and the lovely, yet humorous, surprise ending. I suspect that young readers of this book will never look at a field of dandelions the same again.”
—A. K. Christian (NetGalley reviewer)
Monica Acker spends most mornings taming her mane of curly hair. She is an author and educator and, while not the king of all creatures, she is the master of Scrabble and the queen of cookie eating. Monica lives in Massachusetts with her husband and three children. If you wish to learn more about Monica you can visit www.monicaacker.com
Mikel Valverde is an author and illustrator. He works at a drawing table that someone rescued from an old factory before it was shut down. He has published numerous books, some translated into other languages, and even has received awards for his work. When he’s not at the park with his daughter, he usually takes walks in the hills near his home. He lives very close to the coast, in the Basque Country, Spain.
