Christian, the Hugging Lion - Hardcover

Richardson, Justin; Parnell, Peter

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1416986626 ISBN 13: 9781416986621

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2010

Synopsis

When John and Ace found a lion cub for sale at Harrods, they knew that a department store was no place for a lion. They took him home, named him Christian, raised him and loved him--and in the process, Christian became a London celebrity. But when Christian got too big for their apartment, Ace and John knew that it was time to let him go back to Africa, where he belonged. When they went to visit him in Africa, they were in for a wonderful surprise. Christian remembered them!

This heartwarming book is based on the true story of two men who raised and loved a lion cub--which millions of fans know through the popular YouTube video.

About this title

About the Author:

Justin Richardson, MD, is the coauthor, with Peter Parnell, of the award-winning picture book And Tango Makes Three. Dr. Richardson is an assistant professor of psychiatry at Columbia and Cornell and the coauthor of Everything You Never Wanted Your Kids to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid They’d Ask). Dr. Richardson and his advice have been featured in The New York Times and The Washington Post, on the Today show and NPR’s Morning Edition, and in numerous magazines. Dr. Richardson lectures to parents and teachers on parenting and the sexual development of children.

Peter Parnell is the coauthor, with Justin Richardson, of And Tango Makes Three. He is a playwright whose plays have been produced at the Public Theater and Playwrights Horizons in New York City, the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, and the Seattle Repertory Company, among others. His play QED was produced on Broadway. He has written extensively for television as a producer for both The West Wing and The Guardian; he has also written episodes of Maurice Sendak’s series Little Bear. He lives in New York City.

Amy June Bates has illustrated books including the Sam the Man series, Sweet Dreams and That’s What I’d Do, both by singer-songwriter Jewel; and Waiting for the Magic by Patricia MacLachlan. She lives in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, with her husband and three children.

From School Library Journal:

Kindergarten-Grade 3—When Ace and John find a lion cub for sale at a famous English department store, they buy him, take him back to their apartment, and name him Christian. The young men take him for walks, play with him in a churchyard, and go on beach picnics with him. When Christian grows too large for their apartment, his owners fly him to Kenya where Mr. Adamson will teach him—as he has taught other lions—to live in the wild. They learn that Christian has cubs of his own and fly to Kenya to see him one more time. In a series of near-wordless illustrations that capture the joy of the real-life reunion video that appeared on the Internet in 2008, the friends meet again. They spend the night together "cozy and snug and, of course, hugging." An authors' note explains that all events are true, fills in more details, and mentions the now-famous video. Illustrations are done in watercolor, gouache, and pencil. Young readers may want to see actual photographs of the three friends in Anthony "Ace" Bourke and John Rendall'sChristian the Lion (Delacorte, 2009). This book will be a popular choice among the many youngsters who have bonded with their own pets.—Mary Jean Smith, Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN
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About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1416986626
• ISBN 13: 9781416986621
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Bates Amy June