If I Were a Lion

Written by Kitty Black 

Illustrated by Giuseppe Poli

Reviewed by Sandy Driessens

Western Australian author, Kitty Black, has written another early childhood picture book about her favourite topic, feelings. If I were a Lion speaks to a child’s need to be fierce, wild and free, but essentially is about finding themselves and their voice. She has used the lion as a symbol of power and those characteristics she believes necessary for children, to express themselves in a voice as loud as a roar.

Illustrator Giuseppe Poli has fashioned crayon and watercolour images that splash across the pages with lots of movement and loose depictions of lions, children and their surroundings. Each child, including one in a wheelchair, has a corresponding lion. The double-page spread where the child realizes that Maybe I am already a lion … has a sense of calm reflection amongst the roaring.

Kitty Black created this story with humour and heart with an intended audience of diverse children. Encouraging emotional acceptance, it continues along the vein of her Follow You Feelings Series. For children 3 – 5 years.

Wombat Books 2023