Time of the Lion

At night while his village sleeps, Joseph hears a lion's roar across the African savanna. "Can I meet the lion?" Joseph asks. "No", says his father. "It's not time". But the next day, the lion suddenly charges at Joseph, and a special friendship begins. Every day at noontime. Joseph visits the lion's den. He naps beside the lion, meets the lioness, plays with the cubs.Then one day traders come looking for lion cubs. Joseph sees his father near the den, and fears the worst. His father has betrayed the lion. But Joseph is mistaken. When his father was a boy, he too had spent his noontimes with the lion. And he had hidden the cubs to save them from the traders. "The time of the lion", he tells Joseph, "is more precious than gold".Brilliantly capturing the rhythms and flavor of African life on the savanna, this lyrically written, beautifully illustrated book celebrates the magical time of childhood -- the time of the lion -- when fantasy mingles with reality and parents always turn out to be heroes.