Chloe and the Lion 

by Mac Barnett with pictures by Adam Rex

This book starts out a little different than most because the author introduces himself and the illustrator before introducing the main character of the story. The story is about a girl named Chloe who looks for loose change every day so that she can get enough money to go to the park on Saturday and ride the merry-go-round. But one day she is attacked by a lion which turns out to be a dragon. And then the book takes on a twist when Mac, the author, and Adam, the illustrator, cannot agree on what will happen to Chloe in the book. Of course Chloe intervenes to assist the creators in resolving their difference so that her story can be told.

It’s a cute story with likable characters, including Mac, Adam, and Hank, the replacement illustrator that doesn’t work out after all. This book is a great example of metafiction, a book about fiction or the process of writing fiction. 

 Barnett, M. (2012). Chloe and the lion. New York, NY: Disney Hyperion Books.