"Lions, Tigers, and... Bulldogs?" by Matt Robinson

24 pages; Published by Matt Robinson and Jim Roldan ©2019

The Ivy League. Everyone is aware of the tradition and prestige that go with the eight schools located in the Northeastern United States. They are known for their competitive acceptance rates and rigorous academics that could intimidate some applicants, and even those who have already began studying at one of the campuses.

Matt Robinson, an alumnus of The University of Pennsylvania (1996), pulls back the ivies to give readers an inside look at the eight schools that make up the storied league and some of the legends that surround them. With the help of illustrator Jim Roldan, Robinson has created "Lions, Tigers, and... Bulldogs? An unofficial guide to the legends and lor of the Ivy League". The book begins by introducing the character "Ivy", a leaf that guides you through a brief history of the universities that have given us authors, inventors and Presidents of the United States. The first few pages present information in bullet-form that provide a brief history and some snippets of information about the league. The bullets on these pages could be fleshed out to provide a little more of a "story" for the reader, but it doesn't take away from the informational value or the appealing qualities that Robinson's book has for its readers.

After "Ivy" introduces the readers to the league of schools, the reader finds a two-page spread dedicated to each school. Each spread features a rendition of the school's respective mascot and pictures or drawings of campus landmarks and famous alumni. There are fun facts on each school that are both informative and entertaining. Reading this book will explain which school opens gated only twice a year, and why. What school had the distinction of losing over forty consecutive football games? What schools professor invented the chicken nugget? And what school inspired the movie "Animal House"?

There are also facts and information that are a little more serious and scholarly. One of the schools are the first to award degrees in journalism and medicine. Alumni from one Ivy League school went on to found another Ivy League school. One school has an asteroid and glacier named after it, and one is actually credited with being the first to use the term "campus". There's plenty for the reader to learn from this book without the high expectations of an Ivy League semester. It can provide something for a trivia night or just something to stump friends who are over for a beer. Whatever it is, there is something you thought you knew, or never thought of until you started reading.