We decided a lion would not be a good pet! Check out the fabulous art the students created. So cute! #artclass #artteacher #artteacherofinstagram #kinderart #kidscreate
Friendship troubles are hard! Especially when your best friends start leaving you out of their fun.
But this little girl knows what would make everything better—a lion! If her best friend was a lion, they could go to the park without an adult, do amazing dunks on the basketball court, and get free ice cream whenever they want. Everyone would be jealous—especially those other friends.
A lion would definitely fix things, right? 🦁
Imagining and drawing some of their adventures help her work through her big feelings. And it turns out that sometimes, problems get better with a little time, creativity, and being yourself.
Book: MY BEST FRIEND IS A LION written and illustrated by Deb Pilutti (@dpilutti )
Literary Agent: Jen Rofé (@jenrofe )
To celebrate MY BEST FRIEND IS LION publishing today, I’m sharing some of my favorite illustrations. Most of these are from the imaginative part of the story. It was fun and challenging to decide how to illustrate this section vs. the real life portion. I ended up using more saturated colors, simple crayon lines and textured backgrounds.
I’m so happy this book is out in the world, and thankful for the help it had getting there. Especially to @lalalauriekeller who was there at its inception, my critique group, wonderful agent @jenrofe , and the team at Penguin, especially editor Susan Kochan, art director Lily Malcolm and designer Kathryn Li, who always make the story better.
#kidlit #kidlitart #friendshipbooks
MY BEST FRIEND IS A LION publishes tomorrow! I’m grateful for this lovely review from The Horn Book — and so pleased they wrote about the dissonance between the words and the and reactions of the adults.
“Who needs human friends when you have a steadfast, potentially terrifying animal companion by your side? A lonely young girl imagines a day spent with a lion in this winsome picture book. After mane-grooming and tea-sharing, the pair heads boldly to the city park—“without an adult,” the narrator notes proudly—to march right past her two (human) friends who have “decided that best friends should be in twos, not threes.” Shocked and amazed at the leonine spectacle, those two follow, beginning what will become a long parade of fascinated fans who are visibly delighted to watch a lion shoot baskets, score free ice cream, and disrupt traffic. In digitally assembled gouache, pastel, and watercolor art, Pilutti creates a cohesive, stylized cityscape with loose lines and plenty of texture. The bright-orange, blurry-edged lion leaps out against mostly cooler backdrops. Dissonance between the narrator’s confident words describing the perks of lion friendship and the illustrated reactions of terrified adults adds both humor and a layer of emotional depth: she wants companionship, yes, but also to wield a little power. A happy ending arrives when the narrator is revealed to be illustrating her fantasies with sidewalk chalk; in the absence of an actual lion, sharing her creativity both cheers her and attracts friends old and new.” — The Horn Book
#kidlit #kidtlitart #friendshipbook
I’ve been looking back over my own highlight reel for 2025 – and there have been a lot of precious moments! It was my family’s four weddings and a funeral year, which meant much time spent with family and good friends. I watched my son marry a wonderful man, found out I’m going to be a grandma, took an anniversary trip to Italy with Tom, was a witness for my friends wedding, published a book, and danced a lot with my brothers and sister. Wishing the best for everyone in 2026. 😘
Happy Winter Solstice to my fellow followers of light. We celebrate the longest night knowing that tomorrow will be a tiny bit brighter.
#solstice #wintersolstice❄️
MY BEST FRIEND IS A LION received a lovely review from Booklist! I’ll post the entire review when it posts on December 3, but in the meantime, here is a snippet: “ The simple text, relatable message, and witty pictures make this a fun addition to friendship-themed storytime.”
— Heather Christensen, Booklist
#kidlit #kidlitillustrators #picturebook #friendship #storytime @jenrofe@andreabrownlit@penguinkids@penguinclassroom@lilymalcom
We’re so excited to welcome Deb Pilutti to Kids Ink for a special signing of her hilarious and heartwarming book Fish Don’t Go to School! 🎒🐠
As always, FREE event for all ages
