Published by Puffin Books, 2023.

An Adventure for Lia and Lion is an utterly glorious picture book. It really is a thing of beauty! The oil painted illustrations are vivid explosions of colour and texture – truly a joy to behold. I want to frame them and hang them on my wall.

The story is about a bold little girl called Lia who sets off on an adventure from her corner of the meadow. She’d like to find the perfect pet to take with her. Meanwhile, in another corner of the meadow, there’s Lion and he’s also looking for a pet to tame. What will happen when they meet?

From stubborn single-mindedness to shared experience and mutual admiration, the story charts a developing friendship and shows us that life is richer shared. I loved the scenes where Lia tries to view the world from Lion’s perspective: taking giant strides and prowling through the tall grass. It was also lovely when they both admitted they were scared of the storm, comforted each other and then faced it head-on together.

An Adventure for Lia and Lion is a book that draws you in. The larger-than-life characters and vast sweeping settings (wide storm-filled skies, rolling meadows, long grass and towering trees) make for an immersive read. There’s so much detail to enjoy in the pictures and it’s detail that you don’t notice all at once which means that the story lends itself to multiple re-readings.

The book is a joyful celebration of play, friendship, and the beauty and wonder of the natural world. It’s touching and feel good and brimming with emotional and visual depth. I loved it.

Rating: 💙💙💙💙💙

Suitable for children aged 3+

Thank you to Puffin Books for sending me this book to review.