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The Lion Children
The five McNeice children lived a conventional life in the Cotstwolds until, in l995, their mother Kate, a biologist, seized the opportunity to go and study lions in Botswana. Travers, Emily and Angus, the three middle children, take it in turns to recount their adventures in the Okavango Delta, one of the most beautiful wildernesses on earth, where they must quickly learn to fetch water, dig their own toilet, and discover which creepy-crawlies can kill them. In a Land Rover sometimes driven by 12-year-old Travers, they track prides of lions across hundreds of miles of bush. Their classroom an open hut, they take scientific notes and record their observations of the wild life around them - zebra, giraffe, elephant, impala and much more. Written with a wonderful vividness and immediacy, this is a fascinating book for all animal-lovers, enhanced by colour photographs.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
April 3, 2017
Swallows and Amazons meets Born Free, sugared by a spoonful of Mary Poppins. The fantastic memoir of an unorthodox childhood in the southern African bush enjoyed by some free-spirited siblings and their brilliantly unorthodox mum. As well as a being a powerful rallying cry for the preservation of Africa's natural wonders, my children loved reading of young people living life off-grid, off-screen and off-piste. Highly recommended.
August 16, 2015
When I was about 10 years old this book fascinated me and I read it multiple times. I decided to read it again as an adult and the experience was no less fantastic. This truly is a wonderful book and Richard Dawkins hits the nail on the head in his mini-introduction when he tells the reader that Travers, Angus and Maisie are children who haven't lost their sense of wonder. This is such a candid and unstudied account of what it is like to leave a comfortable life in the English countryside and move to a beautiful, exciting but equally hostile and challenging environment.
September 22, 2019
these kids write w such a high degree of maturity and engagingness(?) you almost forget they’re the age they are. it’s very beautiful to read a firsthand account of such a special upbringing - the excitement and enthusiasm about their lifestyle shines clearly through and its just nice to read yk. the descriptions are so evocative & makes me wanna go to africa and experience these wonder inducing nature tings myself. the lion factfile at the end was an interesting addition
March 15, 2008
A great memoir written from the perspective of 3 young people who spent 2 years in the Okivango Delta in Botswana with their mother monitering the lions there.
May 20, 2016
crazy mom:)
April 7, 2020
In 1995 former actress Kate Nicholls took her five children to live in Botswana so that she could study lions. Here three of the children tell of their extraordinary lives in the African bush. They write with great maturity and perception, and it’s an engaging story. Lions are complex and fascinating creatures and it’s very interesting from that point of view too.
There’s no doubt that the children enjoyed an enviable level of freedom, as well as a remarkable education. Their wonderful experiences I’m sure enriched their lives. However, nagging at me throughout the book is the sometimes breathtaking irresponsibility shown by the adults. Indeed the children come across as eminently more sensible and at times their mother exasperates them (like the time she thought it was a good idea to pour petrol all round the house to ward off snakes...) This irritation did spoil the book for me somewhat. The children emerged unscathed despite numerous narrow escapes but for me there were too many ‘what ifs’.
Kate Nicholls unfortunately did not emerge unscathed from her life in Africa and has written her own book on the events that took place after The Lion Children was published.
There’s no doubt that the children enjoyed an enviable level of freedom, as well as a remarkable education. Their wonderful experiences I’m sure enriched their lives. However, nagging at me throughout the book is the sometimes breathtaking irresponsibility shown by the adults. Indeed the children come across as eminently more sensible and at times their mother exasperates them (like the time she thought it was a good idea to pour petrol all round the house to ward off snakes...) This irritation did spoil the book for me somewhat. The children emerged unscathed despite numerous narrow escapes but for me there were too many ‘what ifs’.
Kate Nicholls unfortunately did not emerge unscathed from her life in Africa and has written her own book on the events that took place after The Lion Children was published.
June 18, 2017
Living in the Okavango Delta was one of the most amazing adventures of my life. Reading the stories of the McNeice children as they learn about living in the wilds of the Okavango sparked a cascade of my own memories and discoveries to surface. Each setting they describe in the dusty, quirky frontier village of Maun combined with their account of the oh-so-many local characters I met in 2008, made this the perfect way to unwind and reflect on a time I am most grateful for experiencing. The Swiss Family Robinson for real and in the African bush - What's not to love? :)
November 20, 2023
I think this is one of my favorite books of the reading the world challenge so far. I give it 3.7 stars. What an insanely cool upbringing. It’s like the Glass Castle meets Swiss Family Robinson but set in the story of the Lion king. It reads like the fusion of three diaries of children living in the bush with lions-a very unique read.
September 2, 2019
I was lucky enough live in Maun just a few hours away from lion camp where the kids grew up. Peter Kat is a very close family friend and I got to experience what it was like living in the same camp as the lion children. We would often spend many weekends at lion camp and I loved every minute of it
May 5, 2020
A truly wonderful account of a family's life and children's upbringing in Botswana to study lions. Can't believe how bright and eloquent the children are who have out this book together. A lovely and eye-opening read!
September 3, 2025
absolutely brilliant I loved every minute of this book. these child authors writing was so interesting and I learnt a lot from reading this book. I definitely recommend reading this book. they have lead a very interesting lives and am so thankful that they shared their stories with us all.
August 19, 2019
Honest and raw account of what happened to her and the effect it had on her and her family. Beautifully written.
June 7, 2022
What a fantastic childhood. I admire their strength on adapting and enjoying something so totally new to them. They share their love of their new lifestyle with so much love.
December 28, 2024
Cracking reading. Excellent contribution from the youngest brother Oakley.
November 18, 2014
The ultimate "home school" mother and her exceptional children. Through the voices of the children, the audience experiences what it means to grow up in the wild. Lovely photography throughout.
Sadly, my only experience with lions is via zoos. I did get an opportunity to stand close to an enclosure a few years back with a male lion right up to the glass calmly looking at the audience. Up to that point, I'd had no idea how large a male lion is in comparison to myself. This was no little kitty. I did a painting. It doesn't do the lion justice and now that I've read this book, I'm aware that the whiskers are like a fingerprint. If I do any future paintings, I'll be sure to pay careful attention to this part of the face.
There is much to like about this book, that it is written by youngsters is only one. In less than 200 pages the audience gets a sense of the wonder and awe that the children were able to experience as well as family dynamics, schooling choices, hands-on education, importance of science, medical needs of poorer countries (dealing with parasites, malaria, HIV, and the threat of Ebola), importance of first aid training as well as how to change a tire, learning not to sweat the small stuff (harmless bugs and germs vs. crocodiles), coping with death and loss, and of course conservation of species. There is a lot to think about packed in this book.
Spoiler: there is some information about the family post book. The children appear to be doing well in life. Unfortunately, some tragic events encroached on the lion populations and Kate, Mom, left Africa after the humans became too dangerous. She is very candid about herself, her time in Africa, and what lead her to leave. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/art...
Sadly, my only experience with lions is via zoos. I did get an opportunity to stand close to an enclosure a few years back with a male lion right up to the glass calmly looking at the audience. Up to that point, I'd had no idea how large a male lion is in comparison to myself. This was no little kitty. I did a painting. It doesn't do the lion justice and now that I've read this book, I'm aware that the whiskers are like a fingerprint. If I do any future paintings, I'll be sure to pay careful attention to this part of the face.
There is much to like about this book, that it is written by youngsters is only one. In less than 200 pages the audience gets a sense of the wonder and awe that the children were able to experience as well as family dynamics, schooling choices, hands-on education, importance of science, medical needs of poorer countries (dealing with parasites, malaria, HIV, and the threat of Ebola), importance of first aid training as well as how to change a tire, learning not to sweat the small stuff (harmless bugs and germs vs. crocodiles), coping with death and loss, and of course conservation of species. There is a lot to think about packed in this book.
Spoiler: there is some information about the family post book. The children appear to be doing well in life. Unfortunately, some tragic events encroached on the lion populations and Kate, Mom, left Africa after the humans became too dangerous. She is very candid about herself, her time in Africa, and what lead her to leave. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/art...
May 25, 2016
Three clever children write about their lives in Botswana among the lions. With pictures.
Best thing I like about it is, they don't have a hidden agenda. Other than lions--lions are cool. And southern Africa is full of amazing creatures we need to preserve at all costs. But other than that, they're just telling it like it is without a lot of moralizing. They're just kids having adventures, good and bad, but always great.
The family story is pretty beautiful, too. The one thing I never exactly understood was why their mother took them to Africa in the first place. It said she'd begun to study biology and she didn't think that the civilized world was a good place for children to grow up. In the modern world, all knowledge is (apparently) available at the tap of a button; all things we might ever need are easily procured and casually tossed away when no longer useful.
I wasn't brought up that way--I know there are things we don't know. Heaps of them. And I know it's a lot more satisfying to build or invent or concoct things that to buy them on Amazon. But it general, you shouldn't romanticize ignorance, nor should you long for a time when the mere struggle for basic needs could occupy one's whole life. There's a different way to bring up strong, independent children in the modern world, and I expect she would have found it no matter where she went.
But, hey--Africa!
Best thing I like about it is, they don't have a hidden agenda. Other than lions--lions are cool. And southern Africa is full of amazing creatures we need to preserve at all costs. But other than that, they're just telling it like it is without a lot of moralizing. They're just kids having adventures, good and bad, but always great.
The family story is pretty beautiful, too. The one thing I never exactly understood was why their mother took them to Africa in the first place. It said she'd begun to study biology and she didn't think that the civilized world was a good place for children to grow up. In the modern world, all knowledge is (apparently) available at the tap of a button; all things we might ever need are easily procured and casually tossed away when no longer useful.
I wasn't brought up that way--I know there are things we don't know. Heaps of them. And I know it's a lot more satisfying to build or invent or concoct things that to buy them on Amazon. But it general, you shouldn't romanticize ignorance, nor should you long for a time when the mere struggle for basic needs could occupy one's whole life. There's a different way to bring up strong, independent children in the modern world, and I expect she would have found it no matter where she went.
But, hey--Africa!
June 13, 2013
This book gives us a brilliant insight into many things: lions, growing up, disease, Africa, family, equality, and, most importantly, change.
Beautifully written, it describes the trials and triumphs of moving from one life to a very unique and different other one. With passages of writing not just from the three main children, Angus, Travers and Maisie, but from other important characters, too, such as their little half-brother, Oakley, and their step-sister, Philippa.
But the saddest thing for me was what happened years later. The Lion 'Children' are all grown up. They moved, (ironically) back to England to study courses at various prestigious universities. After a rape, their inspirational mum, who helped found the Women Against Rape charity, split up with Pieter. The newspaper article I read all this information in shattered my visions of a happy family, growing up and living amongst the lions that were now a big part of their lives.
Beautifully written, it describes the trials and triumphs of moving from one life to a very unique and different other one. With passages of writing not just from the three main children, Angus, Travers and Maisie, but from other important characters, too, such as their little half-brother, Oakley, and their step-sister, Philippa.
But the saddest thing for me was what happened years later. The Lion 'Children' are all grown up. They moved, (ironically) back to England to study courses at various prestigious universities. After a rape, their inspirational mum, who helped found the Women Against Rape charity, split up with Pieter. The newspaper article I read all this information in shattered my visions of a happy family, growing up and living amongst the lions that were now a big part of their lives.
June 14, 2016
I was reading about Ian McNeice when I stumbled upon a reference to his children and Africa, so I tracked down the book. It was written by children, and perhaps aimed at other children. But it seemed rude not to read the whole thing. All the way through, I see-sawed between awe at the experiences they had, and disbelief at their irresponsible mother for giving them those experiences.
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June 9, 2013Awesome story of 3 children changing from England to Africa.
July 31, 2016
It's one of those books that I want to recommend to everyone. Fascinating, beautiful, heartwarming story about three brave kids, their family and lions (and not just lions).
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews