43 books like Lion Hearted

This book is a scientist’s telling of his serious and quirky ambition to know what ravens know. When I got to the description of an experiment whose distinguishing feature was the author wearing a kimono, that’s when I realized I’d been learning as much about the mind of a raven biologist.

I love this book for showing how much more bird brains have in common with human brains–with respect to their capacity for emotion and intellect–than is commonly appreciated.

This book is fiction, infused with magical realism, and I am a scientist. Yet, this book definitely belongs on my list of best books about wild animals.

Superficially, it is about a boy, Dave, who regularly observes a pine marten, a kind of large weasel, in the lush forests of Oregon. I love this book because even the slightest chance of properly empathizing with a wild animal requires a powerful yet constrained imagination. Some of Dave’s attributions to Martin are self-projected, and some of his attributions are deeply true. Reliability in telling the difference is not always so simple.

This book never let me stop wondering, are the thoughts and life of a marten beyond my imagination?  

This is the self-told journey of two scientists’ quest to know what free-ranging, wild baboons know about themselves and their fellow troop mates. When living–as baboons do–in a tangle of social relationships involving 50 or more baboons, it pays to know them and yourself.

The authors retell impressive adventures through the forests of Botswana’s Okavango Delta and dumbfound the reader by showing what can be learned about a baboon’s mind by playing them the recorded calls of their troop mates.

While the authors’ straightforward telling of their scientific sleuthing is remarkable, what I love most about this book is how deeply it blurs the line between what it means to be human and to be a baboon.

I love this book for the same reason that I love all the books on this list. That is, I learned as much about pronghorn antelope as I did about the scientist-author who studies these curiously fast creatures of the open grasslands.

Byers brings the reader on one field trip after the next, showing how he’s studied pronghorn and what it’s like to be there–there in the big sky country and there in Byers’ mind as he assembles his observations into a fascinating account of why pronghorn are so fast.

What I love most is Byers’ sharing–by word and deed–of why he cares so much about these creatures and the places they call home. 

A Lion in Paris is the story about a Lion who moves to Paris to find a job, love, and a future. The book is a beautiful portrayal of what it’s like to be a stranger in a new city, especially one as big and busy as Paris.  You may feel a bit lonely at first, but with time you’ll be able to find your own special place. 

I knew I’d love this book as soon as I read the first few lines. “Congratulations on your new lion! We know you ordered a kitten, but we ran out of those.” This hilarious how-to book provides the main character with all the instructions they need to care for their purrrrfect pet. The straightforward text pairs perfectly with the comical illustrations to show the chaotic reality of caring for an oversized feline friend. As someone whose own pets have brought both enormous destruction and enormous love, I found myself rooting for this fierce friendship. There are also tons of hilarious details in the illustrations. The pizza flavors alone will leave kids laughing and begging for more. This picture book is a roaring good time! 

I know, the title sounds like a downer, especially for kids, but the book is full of new learning, acceptance, and even dealing with revenge. I loved it. And since the title already gives away the scary moment, your young reader doesn’t have to feel nervous.

The story, which takes place in Africa, is simple and powerful and even though the moment of loss is alarming and sad, the story doesn’t slide into sentimentality. In the end, Pedru, the main character, is able to put away his need for revenge and ultimately embrace lion conservation. The book transported me to Africa and lion country. It made me think, too, about hard forgiveness. The best kids’ books are ones that intrigue us as adults. Nailed.

Honestly, I love any book written by C.S. Lewis, but this is probably the first book of his I remember ever reading–and I have read it many times throughout my life. It’s a great story, as part of the 6-book series from Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia collection, with all kinds of Christian symbolism buried throughout the storyline.

And even without considering the Christian references, it is simply storytelling at its best. I never get tired of reading this book (nor the entire collection), and the movie recreations from the mid-to-late 2000s do a good job of bringing the books to life on the big screen.

This powerful graphic novel illustrates—literally and figuratively—the many casualties of religious conflict. Set in Baghdad in 2003 and told from the perspective of a pride of lions, this book captures the struggle for survival, the loss of innocence, and the collateral damage inflicted by war. A clear allegory, this book has proven an excellent teaching tool. The Pride of Baghdad raises important questions about clashing viewpoints, loyalty, sectarian violence, the true price of war, and who, ultimately, pays it. Although narrated by four lions, the story offers a heartbreakingly realistic glimpse into Iraq during the US-led invasion, the consequences of which reverberate still. As I watch the terrible events playing out daily in Ukraine, my mind drifts back to this book, and I am reminded that past is prologue. We are witnesses right now. And may we all be on the right side of history.

Leonard, the lion, knows he’s expected to be fierce and loud. But he’s just not feeling it. Rather than live up to everyone else expectations, he befriends a duck and pursues his love of poetry.

Vere presents boys with a gentle role model and celebrates those who choose to stick up for themselves and their friends. In this way, Leonard’s as brave as any other lion.

This story will affirm those who feel like outsiders and encourages kids to be themselves – and follow their own interests. I love the warmth of this book – from the quirky writing style (which reminded me of Winnie-the-Pooh) to Vere’s palette of hot reds and oranges that depict the savannah so well.