Christian the Lion by Ruth Knowles

Based on the story of Anthony (Ace) Bourke and John Rendall, adapted by Ruth Knowles

ISBN 978-1-862-30956-2

For Sale:  lion cubs, in Harrods department store!

Imagine the surprise on shoppers’ faces when they see a pair of beautiful little lion cubs for sale in London!

Two friends, Ace and John, can’t bear to leave the male cub behind, stuck in a tiny cage.

So they take him home with them, and they name him Christian.  But it’s not long before the cheeky lion is getting into all sorts of mischief and sticky situations.

Whatever will they do when Christian changes from a cute and cuddly little cub into a powerful and noble beast…?

This was a book my son got out of the library for me to read to him, and I enjoyed the story too.  We have both seen clips of Christian the Lion meeting Ace and John on Youtube and we had heard some of the story.

This book is a child’s version of the book written originally by Ace and John and tells how they came across the lion cub, how they came to own him, where they lived and some of the adventures they got into until they took him back to Africa.  It was a touching tale, with lots of laughs and moments of dread, but in the end, Christian goes on to create his own pride.

A great story to share with children.