The Good Lion

by Beryl Markham, Don Brown (Illustrator)

My father and I settled in Africa in 1906. . . . And it was there, as a small girl, I was eaten by a lion.

So begins a true story from aviatrix Beryl Markham’s autobiography. Here young Beryl and a “tame” lion called Paddy come together in an encounter that challenges our notions of wild and docile, trust and duplicity, punishment and forgiveness. Coupled with Don Brown’s expressive watercolors, The Good Lion is a powerful story that will leave readers wondering about the true natures of man and beast.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Childrens, Memoir, History, Juvenile

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 26, 2005

About the author

Beryl Markham was a Kenyan aviator born in England (one of the first bush pilots), adventurer, racehorse trainer and author. She was the first person to fly solo, non-stop across the Atlantic from Britain to North America. She wrote about her adventures in her memoir, West with the Night.

Reviews

[Hal · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title is a bit redundant for this subject of story. I think I was expecting too much after reading the title and synopsis.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very small extract from the author's autobiography, set to pictures. There is a certain amount of menace here. But in the end it worked out okay-ish. Very nice art. A well done adaptation. And an afterword that should encourage reading more.

[Jamie Aabel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book offers an interesting view on wild animals in captivity. The main character Beryl Markham, relives her childhood lion attack while explaining to readers that no wild animal is ever really tame. Although it offers this moral and beautiful pictures, I give it 2 stars due to it's lack of relevance to the elementary school classroom.

[Amara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this book. The illustrations are gorgeous and the message is clear and thought provoking. Should animals be caged? Expected to ignore their natural instincts? Should you be judged forever on one mistake?

I might be more #TeamKaren than #TeamBeryl but I loved it just the same.

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the components of this "Geography in Children's Literature" thing I'm doing is answering whether anything in the book could come across as offensive or insensitive. I don't know if it's always been the case or not, but I feel like teachers find themselves in more and more of a fraught situation. One side is challenging books that are LGBTQ inclusive and one side is challenging books which contain outdated stereotypes. And sometimes it feels like a moving target of what's acceptable, and what's not.

So, I was prepared for this to be controversial - maybe even more controversial than tigers turning into butter. The dust jacket says, "My father and I settled in Africa in 1906... And it was where, as a small girl, I was eaten by a lion."

What type of cultural insensitivity was I about to walk into?

But it was great. We see cultural differences being embraced without being heavy-handed. A clear moral ( "Who thinks it is fair to be judged by a single mistake?" ) and opposition to unfairly punishing creatures for abiding by their essential nature.

It didn't get into colonization or exploitation - though maybe the undercurrents are there just given the fact that Markham was in Africa in 1906 in the first place. I'm writing this from Indiana. Our local college radio station is always reminding me that it's indigenous Potawatomi land... so... there's that.

I would definitely read this to an elementary class without hesitation. And I'll probably pick up Markham's "West with the Wind" if there's an audiobook of that.

[wildct2003 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent story.

[Sihol]

i will read this book

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tiny part of her larger autobiography. Good story though.

[Guillermo · Rating 4 out of 5]

By far the most chilling "easy" book I've read while working in the children's department at the public library. Might not be suitable for for most kiddos, but something 2nd grade and up. I'll write a detailed review later.

read full review here.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This could have been so much better. Maybe it's okay from a child's point of view, I'll find out one of these days. But my plan is to use it as an opportunity to talk about what to do when unexpectedly encountering an animal in its native habitat. (I've had many very close "meetings" with moose, but none with a large predator.)

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done. Though I wouldn't read this with a group of particularly young readers, I have to say this is a deserving addition to the impressive Don Brown collection that already exists. Great book. I particularly liked the endnotes.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this book. The illustrations are really beautiful, the story is a good one too.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An account from Beryl Markham's memoir West with the Night of her terrifying encounter with a domesticated lion on a family friend's farm.

[Dezireen Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly beautiful, truly a miracle in picture books. It is the tale of "becoming" and "being". I read this aloud to my middle schoolers, and they loved it. It truly resonated with them, the idea of being considered wrong, but you are only being yourself.

I read the origin of the story, West with the Night, by Beryl Markham. She does write beautifully as well, but the lyrical, almost mystical flow of this picture book, I suspect, has to do something with the illustrator, Don Brown, or the editor, who is unnamed.

[Judy Desetti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to share with kids about a girl who grows up to be an adventurer and bush pilot. Sadly, it is out of print.

I liked the note from the author at the end.