Taming images of wild animals is something a good writer can do for kids.

“The Good Lion,” by Beryl Markham, with adaptation and illustrations by Don Brown, tells a bittersweet tale about what happens when a child encounters a supposedly docile lion who has a lapse.

The little girl who trusts Paddy is shocked that he isn’t quite as trustworthy as he seems. But she sees through to his lion’s heart and forgives his transgression. She learn, and teaches, a powerful lesson.

Children who are introduced to this book will see Paddy through the girl’s eyes and acquire her compassion. Words and pencil-and-watercolor art have a warmth and a softness that set the story’s overall mood of admiration and gentle regret.

No one who sees “The Good Lion” (Houghton Mifflin Co., $16) can doubt that a ferocious animal need not be viewed as evil. Wild though he is in one incident, this lion deserved to be considered a good beast. He simply wasn’t a pet.

Vast in scope, “The Encyclopedia of Animals” (Teora USA, $24.95) is remarkable for its detailed listings of such creatures as the black guillemot (a polar bird) and the armadillo, as well as for its uncredited beautiful photography.

The text by Genevieve Warnau is conveniently arranged by geographical location titles, such as the savanna and the rain forest, as well as familiar habitats like grassy plains and prairies. Interspersed with the unusual are some familiar creatures of the countryside and gardens.

Readers learn each animal’s diet and the many specifics that make its appearance unique. The author does an impressive job of getting a lot of information into small spaces. The style and vocabulary are perfect for middle-graders.

Leafing through the book is much like being able to enter a large zoo without leaving home.

Inspiration fills the pages of “Twenty-One Elephants and Still Standing,” written by April Jones Prince and illustrated by Francois Roca. Retelling a larger-than-life P.T. Barnum tale, this book (Houghton Mifflin Co. ,$16) will make everyone cheer.

The story of how 21 monumental elephants traversed the Brooklyn Bridge and left it still standing serves as a tribute to the bridge’s mightiness – and to the elephants’. What makes all the events of the narration so awesome is that they’re true.

An author’s note relates that when the Brooklyn Bridge was built, many onlookers doubted its stability. Barnum set out to prove the doubters wrong. Each elephant weighed about 10,000 pounds, and they knew through their trunks and front feet just how safe it was for them to enter and cross the bridge — which they did en masse.

Paintings reminiscent of Edward Hopper’s techniques capture each scene with infinite attention to light, shadow and a feel for surface textures.

It’s not only at the Big Top that jungle animals captivate kids.