The Leopard Boy

by Julia Johnson, Marisa Lewis (Illustrations)

Khalid spends his days looking after his uncle's goats. One day he follows the goats higher up the mountain than he has ever been before, only to discover that one of the kids is missing. But he does stumble upon the home of an old man who tells him about the danger faced by the last of the leopards. When Khalid gets home, his uncle angrily sets a trap for the creature he is sure has killed the lost goat. In the following days, Khalid and the old man discover signs of a leopard and determine to save it from Khalid's uncle. Then Khalid learns that his uncle plans to allow a mining company to destroy the mountain and the last thing he needs is to be foiled by the presence of an endangered and protected animal. This beautiful, timeless and inspiring story set in the Arabian peninsula highlights the dilemmas facing traditional peoples in seeking to improve their lives, and will captivate animal lovers concerned about plight of the Arabian leopard.

The author acknowledges the help of the Breeding Centre for Endangered Arabian Wildlife (BCEAW) which was opened in 1998, under the Environment and Protected Areas Authority (EPAA), Government of Sharjah. Situated approximately 25 km east of the city of Sharjah the BCEAW is the only one of four facilities making up the Sharjah Desert Park and is responsible for the captive breeding and research of the indigenous Arabian fauna. The BCEAW was purpose built for breeding regionally endangered wildlife, and also serves as a base for research into the mammal, reptile, freshwater fish, amphibian and invertebrate species which inhabit the Arabian Peninsula. The BCEAW is also the headquarters of the Captive Breeding Program for the Critically Endangered Arabian Leopard.

Genres: Middle East

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Adele Broadbent · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Khalid loses one of his goats on the mountain, he meets a wise old man who tells him stories about a leopard. But weren’t all the leopards gone from that area?
Khalid’s uncle (leader of his village) is planning to sell the mountain to a surveyor to break up for building material without telling the other villagers. It’s only when Khalid sees a leopard with her cubs that he believes the old man. But how will he stop his uncle?

Michael Morpurgo has reviewed this story as ‘A wise and wonderfully told tale’ and I have to agree with him. It has a good plot, a message that is woven through the story without being at all ‘preachy’ and a ‘warm fuzzy’ at the end.

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting story

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An inspiring story with a subtle conservationist message. It's refreshing to read a story set in the Middle East that's not about war or oppression of some kind.