The Time of the Lion

The sense of connectedness children feel with the natural world is powerfully and eloquently portrayed in this picture book tale of friendship between a village boy and a lion. Set in an East African savannah, it tells how Joseph develops a close, caring, reciprocal relationship with a lion, a relationship he keeps from his father who feels Joseph is not yet ready for leonine encounters. The arrival of traders puts Joseph's kinship with the lion and its family, and his trust in his father in jeopardy; but both Joseph and his father have things to learn about each other. There is a strength and majesty in the watercolour illustrations which flow across the gutter of the book on every page. This is true equally of the dusty, earthy daytime scenes and the dusky, shadowy landscapes under the starstrewn night sky all in subtle shades of purple and blue. Everything and everyone is acutely observed: details of the savannah and its flora and fauna and the many and varied patterns in the village scenes. Some of the decorative motifs are repeated in borders and vignettes used as headers and footers to the text. A fine multi-layered story with endless opportunities for discussion and reflection.