A Lion in Paris

Story

Leon is a big, curious lion feeling both lonely and bored at home on the wild savanna. He decides to leave and look for adventure in… Paris, the City of Light! He finds himself wandering around the crowded city but realises that no one notices him until at last, there it is! The first glance from a lady on a wall…

Why we chose it

A beautifully illustrated story of a stranger looking for a new life in an unknown city.

Where it came from

Beatrice Alemagna (1973-present) is a multi-award-winning Italian children’s book author and illustrator, who currently lives in Paris. At the age of 8, she decided that when she grew up she would become a writer and painter.

A Lion in Paris is one of the books she is most proud of. She and Leon the lion, have a lot in common and his story, that of a stranger looking for a new life in an unknown city, is like her own.

Where it went next

A Lion in Paris is considered to be one of Alemagna’s most accomplished books. It won six awards (in Italy, France, Germay and Taiwan) gaining worldwide recognition. It has been translated into ten different languages.

Associated stories

Alemagna’s other books include The Bug’s Books (2009-2013), What is a child (2016), On a Magical Do-Nothing Day (2017), Harold Snipperpot's Best Disaster Ever (2019), Little big Boubo (2014) and The Wonderful Fluffy Little Squishy (2015). Alemagna has also adapted and reimagined Lotta, another child anarchist character by the famous Swedish author Astrid Lindgren, in her books Lotta Combinaguai (2015) and Lotta Combinaguai Sa Fare Tutto (2018).