Little Lion

A little boy and his brother Bob are startled when their Dad arrives home with a lion, proclaiming proudly that he’s bought them a dog. Mum thinks work must have over-stressed him and it’s best to humour him till he gets over it. So the little lion lives with them as a rather loud pet, growing ever bigger and bigger, but seemingly playful. Meanwhile, the boys and their friends continue to be plagued by Jonno, the school bully. Until one day the now not-so-little lion proves his usefulness in respect of Jonno.

The bold, full-colour illustrations in a cartoon-like style carry this funny story along in a lively way. The telling of the tale is unfussy, with brevity being used to convey the wit. An endnote usefully explains that the inspiration for this story came from oral retellings originating in the Northern Cape of South Africa. These were written down by linguists and have therefore become accessible for reinterpretation and reworking, as in this (engaging) case.