A Lion in the Meadow

by Margaret Mahy, Jenny Williams (Illustrator)

What would you do if you knew there was a lion in the meadow, but your mother wouldn't believe you and gave you a matchbox with a dragon to scare away the lion... and in fact the dragon was there too?

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Dragons, Fantasy, Fiction, Family

32 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1969

About the author

Margaret Mahy was a well-known New Zealand author of children's and young adult books. While the plots of many of her books have strong supernatural elements, her writing concentrates on the themes of human relationships and growing up.

Her books The Haunting and The Changeover: A Supernatural Romance both received the Carnegie Medal of the British Library Association. There have 100 children's books, 40 novels, and 20 collections of her stories published. Among her children's books, A Lion in the Meadow and The Seven Chinese Brothers and The Man Whose Mother was a Pirate are considered national classics. Her novels have been translated into German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Italian, Japanese, Catalan and Afrikaans. In addition, some stories have been translated into Russian, Chinese and Icelandic.

For her contributions to children's literature she was made a member of the Order of New Zealand. The Margaret Mahy Medal Award was established by the New Zealand Children's Book Foundation in 1991 to provide recognition of excellence in children's literature, publishing and literacy in New Zealand. In 2006 she was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Award (known as the Little Nobel Prize) in recognition of a "lasting contribution to children's literature".

Margaret Mahy died on 23 July 2012.

On 29 April 2013, New Zealand’s top honour for children’s books was renamed the New Zealand Post Margaret Mahy Book of the Year award.

For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret...

Reviews

[Chantal · Rating 3 out of 5]

The little boy tells his mom that he sees a lion in the meadow, but his mother dismisses him. The story wasn't that bad, but I found the boy and mother nagging at times. So for that it only gets 3 points.

This book is in the 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up challenge I am doing.

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a little boy tells his mother there is a lion outside, she assumes he is imagining it and advises him accordingly.

Simple and striking, this book plays with the boundaries between imagination and reality. I really like it except for the last page where the mother is rebuked for "making up stories" -- that seemed bit unfair and not really in keeping with the rest of the book.

[Mathew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book. Deceptively simple at first glance but a more complex theme underlies the story. A little boy is worried that he has seen a lion lurking in the meadow outside the house. Its description and fierceness grows the more the little boy's mother ignores his concerns, until exhausted, she comes up with a solution to combat his fears: she gives him a dragon to frighten the lion. This just makes matters worse! Now we have a great, roaming dragon terrorising the land!
Much like Sendak's Where The Wild Things Are, there is much going on beneath the surface around imagination as a vessel for needs (understood or not so) as well as the complexities around parenting and giving time to all your children. It is certainly a book for rich discussion on many levels.
Jenny Williams' illustrations are beautiful but a little reading has shown me that there were earlier illustrations which look far richer in their imagining. Must get hold of a copy. You could use this in many ways in the classroom and this is yet another text I have read in which the lion is seen as saviour and as a danger.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm still new to Margaret Mahy and this was a present from the guys at work. One of her more famous stories I believe. It's a nice warm story about the nature of stories and imagination and where the line between them and reality can blur, especially in the mind of a child.

Jenny Williams creates some modern and lovely artwork to fit the story with a lot of nice background details (great for a game of 'can you find..?). Plus, there's that great surprise splash page near the end.

This is the first book we actually read to Jacob with him sitting up between us. He happily stared at the pages the whole way through. I suspect we'll read this a lot more. Great for small children.

[Melinda Szymanik · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is never anything ordinary about Margaret Mahy's books. If anything can make a child believe in the mystery and magic of the world it is this book. "Some stories are true and some aren't."

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a lion in the meadow, a little boy tells his mother. But of course his mother is busy, and rather than coming to look she tells him another story to 'fix' the problem of the lion.

Unexpected. Magical. True Margaret Mahy.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 1001 CBYMRBYGU. A common theme I see in books for young children is parents who do not listen to their children. That’s the theme of this book. The little boy tells his mom that he sees a lion in the meadow, but his mother dismisses him. The pictures show the mother carrying on with her daily chores while the boy continues to move closer and closer to the lion. Eventually, the mother seeks to counter by telling the boy a tale of her own, but that has unexpected results.

The little boy said,
“Mother, there is a big, yellow lion in the meadow.”
The mother said,
“Nonsense, little boy.”

[Shelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not surprised to see that this story was initially published in 1969 because it had a beautiful classic feel to it, much like Hans Christian Anderson's work. In the end I am still uncertain if the lion in the story was real or a only part of the boys imagination. Leaving the story unclear does add a nice twist and allows for fun discussions with your kiddos about what they think happened, and most likely they will want to reread it to better form their opinion.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites to use in story times... children really like the interactions between the mother and the boy, the boy and the lion, and how imagination is respected and yet not coddled as some cutesy thing. For those who can still imagine dragons in the garden and befriending lions in the meadow...and for those who want to.

[Zayneea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the usual type of story that I would read / like,but I saw the book in the library and was curious enough to flick through the pages and decide to take it home with me to read properly. Glad I did because it is a beautiful story - not sure I completely understood it all at times, but still beautiful nonetheless.

[Sharlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Margaret Mahy is an inspiring award-winning author.

This story really opens the imagination up to wonderful adventures. The Lion in the Meadow is so descriptive.

I love how the story ends with a friendship.

Great illustrations by Jenny Williams.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a really old (70's) copy of this, with different art work
which i LOVE!! but the story is short and meaningful to a child
very succinct - isn't that often the best way?

[Rosie · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The little boy said, “Mother, there is a lion in the meadow”, the mother dismisses this claim. “Mother, there is a big, yellow lion in the meadow.” The mother dismisses this claim. “Mother, there is a big, roaring, yellow, whiskers lion in the meadow.” The mother again dismisses the boy.

A boy has imagined a lion living in the meadow next to his house, his mother dismisses her child’s imagination, and in turn the boy enhances the image of the lion to try and enable his mother to ‘see’ the lion too (well that’s what I think is going on). As the mother just decides the lion is a story, she create her own, a dragon in a matchbox who will chase the lion away. Of course the mother doesn’t really think that will happen, and yet to her son it is very real and now instead of a lion in the meadow there is a dragon!

The mother admits she made the story up and tells the boy some tales are real and some are not, little does she realise the lion is still very much real to the little boy. And yet the lion and the boy become friends (the lion only eats apples you see, not little boys). They play in a different meadow and leave the dragon alone.

Simple story, on the surface. I would say that the lion acts as the boys main companion as he seems be to second best to his baby sibling (which the mother is often seen fawning over in the illustrations), an imaginary friend to save himself from loneliness. I would then argue that the dragon may represent the mother, as once the boy knows he has his lion friend he leaves the dragon alone - just as he’s realised his mother won’t dismiss his imagination if he doesn’t tell her to begin with.

[Ivy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this one very much, it was a bit confusing.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

"That is how it is," said the lion. "Some stories are true, and some aren't..."

Read and reread, its covers mended with yellowing sticky tape, our family's copy of Margaret Mahy's classic has survived nearly half a century and has been read to the children of the child it was was first bought for. And the reason I think it has survived is that it not just works on so many levels but has also been served well by Jenny Williams' luminous illustrations.

It begins with a boy running in from a field made savanna-like by grasses as tall as his head. "Mother," he tells her, "there is a lion in the meadow," but she doesn't believe him. "Nonsense, little boy," she replies. From this point we go on to what constitutes truth and what make-believe, who takes charge of storytelling and when does the storytelling stop, if at all.

It has the quality of classic fairytales, full of archetypal figures and incidents, layered by repeated phrases amid mild suspense but at the same time leaving space for one's imagination to expand into. Pictures work hand in hand with text while leaving us free to interpret what we're being told and what we're seeing.

The mother tries to allay the little boy's half-feigned fear of the "big, roaring, yellow, whiskery lion" in the meadow near the farmhouse by pretending that a dragon in a matchbox she gives him will grow and chase the lion away. But this proves to be like throwing oil on a fire. Will the mother make good her promise never to make up a story again? It's interesting that the late New Zealand author adapted the ending for a later edition with new illustrations, but in truth I prefer this more enigmatic conclusion.

The original pictures have a very 60s bohemian pop art quality about them, for example when they contrast the golden meadow associated with the lion with the mauves and pinks and purples of the dragon's environment, before the tones are finally combined. They mix a child's view of the world with humour as the lion's features flicker from ferocity to fear to fun, and also subtly draw a link between the dragon and the mother.

But it's the story, with its rhythms and pace, which lingers in my mind. Older readers will also enjoy the subconscious echo of another writer's lion, witch and wardrobe in the little boy's friend, his mother and the broom cupboard in which boy and lion hide from the dragon. Adults may relish parallels with the Garden of Eden in this story's meadow and in the apples the lion eats, or with the Norse Midgard and its serpent, and maybe even the apples of the goddess Iðunn.

But one hopes that the youngsters to whom this tale is really directed to will pick up the real nugget at the centre of it all, which is that this is one of those stories that really is true: it validates the child's hopes and fears, the power of their imagination, their sense of where the safety of home lies and how one may come to extend it.

[Scotty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Margaret Mahy's A Lion in the Meadow is a fun and colourful children's book that blurs the lines between the real and imaginary worlds. Aimed at children between the ages of 4 and 8 years, the story is about a boy who spots a lion whilst playing in the meadow. Despite his protestations, his mother doesn't believe him and instead, decides to give the boy a matchbox and tells him that there's a dragon inside that will chase the lion away. However, the dragon turns out to be real so the lion and the boy hide in the broom cupboard, where the boy learns that the lion is friendly and only eats apples. They tell the boy's mother that the dragon is real and then finally, the lion has the idea to play on the other side of the meadow, well away from the dragon.

Although I could well imagine children enjoying this book, I do feel that it has some flaws when it comes to being used in an educational setting. Many words are not decodable using phonics, such as 'meadow' 'tiny' and 'roaring' which mean that low level readers who lack confidence with phonics may struggle. Only high level Year 1 and 2 pupils would be able to read the book from start to finish without considerable assistance. Some pages are quite lengthly which could also be daunting to a struggling pupil. I think that this is a shame as it is Year 1 and 2 pupils that would probably enjoy this story more than pupils in Years 3 and 4. Written in 1969, some teachers may view this book as somewhat dated and there are aspects which are probably a little out of date. The author's approach to the characters, by not giving them names, makes the story appear a little impersonal and the language used between the characters feels slightly anachronistic; but these are only minor issues. Overall, the story is enjoyable and the pictures engaging, as children try to find the lion camouflaged in the meadow. If used for story time or in a scenario where the adult reads with the child, I feel that this book still works well.

[Graeme Cash · Rating 3 out of 5]

The version I grew up with was the 1986 reillustrated edition. Mahy first published A Lion in the Meadow in the New Zealand School Journal in 1965. It was published in book form in 1969. In the 1986 edition Mahy changed the ending to a more ‘kinder one’.

The story opens with a young boy telling his mother that he has seen a lion in the meadow. His mother dismisses his story as ‘nonsense’. The boy is still scared to go into the meadow so the boy’s mother decides to make up a story of her own. She gives the boy a matchbox and tells him that there is a dragon inside the box that will chase the lion away. It turns out not only is the lion real but the dragon is too. The boy learns that the lion is friendly and only likes to eat apples. The lion lives in the broom cupboard and the boy and the lion happily play in the other meadow and leave the dragon alone.

I suspect as a child I was attracted to the bright yellow cover of the book and the colourful realistic illustrations. Also lions are powerful and majestic creatures so thought of a friendly apple-eating almost pet lion would have been appealing.

As an adult I can appreciate the details in Jenny Williams’ illustrations that I would have missed as a child, such as the painting of a lion on the kitchen table that the boy has painted and a teddy bear watching the action from an upstairs bedroom window. I do find the language used by the mother a little abrupt, for example, ‘nonsense, little boy’. I’m surprised Mahy did not choose to name the boy to make the story more personal for the reader.

[SBC · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a New Zealand classic but not one I recall from my childhood, and not one that greatly appeals to me as an adult. I loved the illustrations by Jenny Williams of a very handsome lion and a colourful, floral home.

The crux of the story is that a little boy sees a lion in the meadow (alongside their house). His mother, preoccupied with a baby sibling, keeps telling him 'nonsense' and ignoring him as she does the chores. The mother believes he is making up stories and so says she will make up one too - she gives him a matchbox and tells him a tiny dragon is in it that will grow into a big dragon and chase the lion away. The dragon grows so big that the lion is scared and runs inside into the broom cupboard. The little boy does too and they become friends. The lion only eats apples and becomes the little boy's friend and a house lion. They play together in the other meadow and leave the dragon alone.

It's clearly a story about the power of imagination. The mother says 'But there wasn't a real dragon. It was just a story I made up.' 'It turned out to be true after all,' said the little boy. 'That is how it is', said the lion. 'Some stories are true and some aren't.'

The illustrations are lovely, but I didn't love the story - a mother ignoring their child and dismissing their fears; the boy forced to play in another place.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story about a mother known as 'Mother' and her little boy known as 'little boy'. Clearly the mother has not attended many recent parenting courses. She sends him outdoors when he's scared, says 'Nonsense' to his concerns and worse; she fobs him off with a demonised matchbox. It's a wonder the Department of Community Services are not calling round.

Very much of its era, including near psychadelic artwork, this is a book our family enjoyed a while back. I read it again recently and still like the vivid colours, the wild imagination and of course the 'big roaring yellow whiskery lion'. I'm not sure what NAPLAN markers would make of those four adjectives in a row, but it sure works for Margaret Mahy.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kid really likes this at 24 months. I like that it's about fear, and that some of the fear it diffuses, and some of it it just puts into the meadow on the other side of the house and decides to ignore, which is what we have to do with some fears. Also that the mother offers some protection, but cannot universally protect. It's nice for a child working through his own autonomy/independence in the world (ie a toddler).

[Nicola · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this book as a child and now I'm reading it to Miss 4. Mahy captured something special about how real the imaginary is when we're young.

Miss 4 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular topics or themes. We try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first library memory revolves around this book! Before I started school, my Mum found a copy in the withdrawn books area of Te Atatu South Library (of beloved memory) - and I still have that copy.
Fabulously vivid 70s illustrations accompany the story of a young boy and the 'imaginary' lion in the meadow.

[Lera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent story, happily bears re-reading as it is rather frequently requested. I think this copy was mine originally. The poor mother wears a lot of pink, is constantly cooking, and is punished for her lively imagination, but apart from that the story is a happy one.

[Peter Millett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic children's book. Interesting that Margaret agreed to change the ending of her beloved book later in life. I've never seen that done before. I think the new ending is better though. A risk worth taking.

[Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

What happened to the original illustrations? I was really disappointed by this rerelease version with insipid illustrations. The original illustrations are psychedelic and of its time (1969) and I think match the storyline better. The story is obtuse.

[Angela Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gwen pretty much knows this book word for word. :)

[Lisa Bywell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommended by Alexander

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic, I prefer the older ending.
Cute, ? suitable for a storytimes?

[Karen Dransfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic by Margaret Mahy. A small boy tells his mum that there is a lion in the meadow. She doesn't believe him and things go from there.

[Gervy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet