The Lion and the Unicorn

Product Information

Shirley began to write and draw her own picture books when her children were young. Her first book - Lucy and Tom's Day - was published in 1960, and she followed it with, among others, Dogger, and the Alfie series. Her books include the wordless picture book Up and Up, collection of rhymes and poems Out and About, and for the very young The Nursery Collection. The Lion and the Unicorn" mixes history and fiction. The story takes place during the Second World War, when England is bombed.

The Lion and the Unicorn by Shirley Hughes | Goodreads The Lion and the Unicorn by Shirley Hughes | Goodreads

The Lion and the Unicorn tells the story of Lenny Levi, a young boy who is evacuated during the second world war. Lenny is frightened of so many things - of the falling bombs, of being parted from his mother, of the shadows in the night. He is an outsider because he is the only boy in his foster home in the country, because he is Jewish and doesnot eat bacon or attend morning prayers at school, and because he is from London. Furthermore, Lenny wets the bed and one of his fellow evacuees tells everybody at school. Poor Lenny can only find comfort in the badge that his father gave him of a lion and a unicorn, and from being in the secret garden of his new home. It is in this garden that Lenny meets someone who shows him that unicorns are as courageous as lions, and that Lenny is full of courage too. The courage to deal with every challenge that comes his way, even though it is sometimes the hardest and most painful thing to do. Shirley Hughes is an author and illustrator for children's books. Her famous books are "Dogger" and "Ella's Big Chance". With all the books she has written, she won the Kate Greenaway Medals for British children's book illustration. When Lenny's father goes to fight in the Second World War, he gives his son a brass badge with two animals engraved on it: a lion for bravery and a unicorn for courage.This special edition includes stories from real-life evacuees, uncovered from the Imperial War Museums. Then, Lenny himself must go away, as he is evacuated from his home and family to escape the bombing. Staying in a strange new place, Lenny gathers all his lion bravery, all his unicorn courage, and discovers that magic can happen, even in the most desperate of times. I find this book rather good because it explains the pain of children who leave their parents. Even though this book is for children between 5 and 7 years old, but it's also interesting even for older children. This book is not full of action but it makes you want to help children who have lived through the war and nowadays find it difficult to live without their parents. When Lenny's father goes to fight in the Second World War he gives his son a brass badge with two animals engraved on it: a lion for bravery and a unicorn for courage. Then, Lenny himself must go away, evacuated from his home and family to escape the bombing. Staying in a strange new place, Lenny gathers all his lion bravery, all his unicorn courage, and discovers that magic can happen, even in the most desperate of times. About This Edition ISBN:

The Lion And The Unicorn by Shirley Hughes | Waterstones The Lion And The Unicorn by Shirley Hughes | Waterstones

Lenny is a young boy living alone with his mother in London, his father having gone off to fight. One day to protect him from the bombing, Lenny's mother sends him to the countryside, to a big house with other children. Most children these days will struggle to relate to Lenny. The book, ‘The Lion and the Unicorn’, was set during WWII and so many of the problems Lenny encountered are an alien concept to us, thankfully. She wrote two novels for older children, Hero on a Bicycle, about a 13-year-old Italian boy during the occupation of Florence, and Whistling in the Dark, set during the Liverpool Blitz. Her memoir, A Life Drawing, was published in 2002. The Lion and the Unicorn’ is based on the experiences little Lenny Levi faces when he is evacuated from the city (to the countryside) during World War II. The Lion is a brilliant portrayal of Lenny’s fears. The Lion is a powerful animal which looks set to overpower Lenny...The book is about a child who has a father at war he must leave his mother and London because ofa bombing and a fire. He goes to a host family. Shirley Hughes ( 1927 – 2022)was born and grew up in West Kirby, near Liverpool. She studied at Liverpool Art School and at the Ruskin School of Art in Oxford, before embarking on a career as a freelance illustrator. At first she worked as an interpretive illustrator, but she began to write and design her own picture books when her children were very young. Her first book, Lucy and Tom's Day, was published in 1960.