How to Hide a Lion by Helen Stephens

How to Hide a Lion is a lovely picture book which has an instant classic look about it. We've been really enjoying this one as a family, my 20 month old particularly likes roaring at the moment so it works well for her!

The story is very sweet, all about a lion who is running away from people who are scared of him. It's the classic tale of a small child, Iris, who is wiser than all the grown-ups and of course children love to hear this! It reminds me a little bit of 'Rhino's don't eat pancakes', it has the same sense of people not seeing what's right under their noses (in both cases a rather large animal!). I really like the ending and think it's very satisfying. I also like the references to Judith Kerr, Iris reads to the lion 'The Tiger Who Came to Tea' and the lion stops the burglars at the end in a way that is reminiscent of Mog. Maybe I'm reading too much into it but I thought it was nice!

I've always been a big fan of Helen Stephens illustration style and I think her work is perfect here. She has a rather lovely website which you can find here. How to Hide a Lion has been nominated, shortlisted and won many awards, all of which Helen mentions on her website.