Book excerpt: A magical tale of the special bond between father and son recounts how young Joseph, living in the African Savannah, comes to love a lion living nearby and how he learns to both love and trust his father. At night while his village sleeps, young Joseph hears a lion's roar thunderclap across the wide East African Savannah. Joseph's father tells him that it is not the right time to go and meet the lion, but when Joseph sees the lion racing towards him, his great head streaming with gold and his paws as big as drums, a special friendship begins. Every noontime Joseph visits the lion's den. He sleeps beside the lion, meets the lioness, and plays with the young cubs. Then one day, traders come looking for lion cubs and an anxious fear awakens in Joseph: he suspects that his father has betrayed the lions. This beautiful father/son tale explores an unusual friendship and a child's rite of passage. The Time of the Lion creates a metaphor for the magic of childhood, a time when fantasy is reality, and lions are our friends. The beautiful artwork is the perfect compliment to this tale, capturing the power and mystery of the African Savannah.