Old Lion and the Little Rabbit

The old lion lives alone, far away from the herd. His nose tells him prey is nearby. To his surprise, he finds a tiny baby rabbit has fallen asleep in his golden mane. Since it is too small to fill his belly, he decides to let it grow into a meal. As the time passes, he finds grasses to fatten up his meal, but he also shares his stories with the little creature. Rabbit grows, but Lion has become attached. Even Hyena cannot persuade him to make a meal of his companion, and he sacrifices a tasty meal to let rabbit run free. Here is a quietly joyful picture book, illustrated with luminous art by Keiko Kaichi. This endearing story about loneliness and friendship will resonate with young and old alike.

Keiko Kaichi was born and grew up in Japan and lives in Osaka. She started to paint pictures in 2005 using acrylic – her main subjects are animals, which she cares for and loves. Her work has been chosen annually for the Japanese magazine Moe and in 2009 her work was selected for the Illustrators exhibition at the Bologna Book Fair. She is also the illustrator of The Wolf and the Seven Kids, published by minedition.