There's a lion in my cornflakes by Michelle Robinson illustrated by Jim Field

A friend a I recently visited a museum display of the theme of toys from the past. One area that caught our eye was a collection of the little toys that came in cereal boxes.  My friend pointed out how much breakfast conflict these little plastic objects created but luckily in There's a lion in my cornflakes there is no time for arguments because our two intrepid siblings desperately need 100 tokens to claim their FREE lion! And of course there is only one token in each box.

After weeks of munching cornflakes for breakfast, lunch and dinner the boys send in their tokens. Alas this is a case of buyer beware.  The boys have not read the 'small print'. While all their friends are enjoying their lions, Dan and his brother arrive home to find quite a different animal has been delivered.  Mr Flaky Ltd sends a letter of apology and the promise of a different reward but once again no lion.  The disasters continue until we reach the wonderful twist at the end.

You could play a great game with this book - the publisher has kindly supplied 100 free lion coupons.

The illustrator web site includes a terrific book trailer (listen at the end for the 'buyer beware' warning) and some original sketches plus excellent insights into the creative processes Jim Field went through when designing this book. You can also find some activities on the author web site.

This book made me think of a title from the Aussie Bites series called Nathan and the ice rockets.