A lyrical and moving tale of a young boy growing up in Africa, and his
lifelong friendship with a white lion. ‘All my life I’ll think you you, I
promise I will. I won’t ever forget you.’ Bertie rescues an orphaned white lion
cub from the African veld. They are inseparable until Bertie is sent to
boarding school far away in England and the lion is sold to a circus. Bertie
swears that one day they will see one another again, but it is the butterfly
lion which ensures that their friendship will never be forgotten.
ILLUSTRATED BY CHRISTIAN BIRMINGHAM
Read and Respond Teachers guide available
From the Author
The Butterfly Lion grew from several magical roots: The memories of a small
boy who tried to run away from school a long time ago; a book about a pride of
white lions discovered by Chris McBride; a chance meeting in a lift with
Virginia McKenna, actress and champion of lions and all creatures born free; a
true story of a soldier of the First World War who rescued some circus animals
in France from certain death; and the sighting from a train of a white horse
carved out on a chalky hillside near Westbury in Wiltshire.
To Chris McBride, Virigina McKenna and Gina Pollinger – many many thanks. And
to you the reader – enjoy it! Michael Morpurgo (FEB 1996)”