2004-02-28 Love is actually all around

This book is about a lion named Leo who didn't fit in with his pride, because he just wanted to look for love and make friends with other animals in the jungle. After he was forced to leave the pride of lions, Leo did his best to help every kind of animal in the jungle, but never asked for a thing. Eventually, he became the king of animals in a different way.
The lovely colorful cover of this book will catch your eye in the bookshop. The illustrations are animated and charming as if you were in tropical Africa. From the illustrations page by page, Leo's enthusiasm and kindness are obviously an important part of the whole story. And the most brilliant drawing is the one in which Leo's friends arrive at the bank and link themselves up tail to paw to rescue him. How smart this is!
However, in this book the thing which really moves me is the moral of the story. By means of the plot, Leo's unique way of thinking and his brave deeds deserve much praise. Although he didn't identify with his pride at first, he still knew what he really wanted. Most of the time we are taught that we are supposed to do something in a particular way. If you can't get your own convictions accepted, you will follow common concepts to live your life. Nevertheless, the ending of this book offers us a distinct way of thinking, showing us we can be what we want to be, and understand the most valuable gift in the world is love. As long as we can open our minds to accept the world, we will find much love, and we can make any dreams come true, even if they are achieved in a more difficult way.
This excellent book is worth reading as a bed-time story.