A Lion Called Christian (Retelling) - Softcover

Ace Bourke was born in Sydney in 1946. He has become one of Australia's leading art curators, a pioneer in the field of Aboriginal art and a colonial art specialist, staging numerous critically acclaimed exhibitions. Ace hopes to immerse himself again in wildlife and conservation projects, to help address the world's urgent environmental issues. He lives in Sydney with his two cats. John Rendall is a sixth-generation Australian, and currently divides his time between London and Sydney. John continues his commitment to the George Adamson Wildlife Preservation Trust and is a member of the Royal Geographical Society in London. He has been involved in travel-focused public relations, concentrating on conservation projects, lodges and reserves in Africa. John's three children share his passion for wildlife and conservation.

Kindergarten-Grade 3—The story the lion cub purchased from the exotic animals department at Harrods in 1969 has transitioned from YouTube phenomenon to middle grade chapter book (Delacorte, 2009) and now to picture book. While details fleshed out in the chapter book are glossed over and sometimes poorly explained here, this book succeeds because of the authors' decision, many years ago, to document their time with Christian so well. The lion's story, presented as a scrapbook, is full of original photographs of the cub growing up in a London flat and his eventual relocation to the Kenyan bush. Christian's slightly anthropomorphized narrative has a brief introduction and conclusion by Bourke and Rendall. Young readers may not grasp the absurdity of keeping a wild animal as a pet, nor the serendipitous circumstances that led to Christian's placement with George and Joy Adamson, but they will enjoy the photos of Christian riding around London in a convertible, playing hide-and-seek with a blanket, and meeting the pride of lions that he would eventually join. The layout is excellent, with both text and photos presented in an uncluttered, easy-to-follow format. This is ultimately a satisfying story about an extraordinary relationship. It will intrigue children raised on Owen and Mzee and Knut the polar bear.—Kara Schaff Dean, Walpole Public Library, MA END