Oscar's Lion

Oscar’s Lion by Adam Baron, illustrated by Benji Davies
 
When Oscar wakes up and finds an enormous lion in his parents’ bedroom, he has one very important question: where have his parents gone? The lion says he is there to look after Oscar for the weekend, and although that sounds more than a little alarming, this is no ordinary babysitter. He allows as many biscuits as Oscar likes, reads his favourite story again and again, and can transform into all kinds of animals.
 
What begins as a wonderfully strange weekend soon opens into a magical, funny and deeply tender adventure. As Oscar and the lion move between everyday life and extraordinary journeys, Oscar begins to face the things that have been making him feel frightened, lonely and small. There is plenty here to delight readers who love impossible animal companions and adventures that keep changing shape, but the story’s real strength is the love, grief and family history carried quietly beneath the magic.
 
Adam Baron writes with warmth, wit and a rare understanding of how children can hold happiness and sadness at the same time, while Benji Davies’s expressive black-and-white illustrations bring extra emotion and wonder to key moments. A beautiful choice for family reading, thoughtful classroom discussion or an independent reader ready for a story with both imagination and heart.