Many children’s books use animals to teach kids about life. Whether it’s stories of cats being brave, unicorns showing resilience or mice finding their courage - like in The Lion Inside board book - animal stories help little ones to learn about feelings, new situations and the natural world. 

The Lion Inside touches on friendship and courage, but also gives children a taste of what life as a lion is all about. These apex predators are hailed as the ‘kings of the jungle’ and are known for their strength, with alpha male lions heading up their prides. If the book’s brief introduction to lions has sparked your child’s curiosity, here are five things they may not know about these majestic beasts.
 

Lions used to live in Europe

When most of us think of lions, we think of them prowling the African savannah. There’s evidence, however, that prides once roamed in southeastern Europe, in countries like Bulgaria and Greece. Archaeologists have uncovered the bones of wild lions thought to have lived on the continent around 6,000 years ago. 
 

There’s a lion population in India

Many people think lions only live in Africa now, but there is one species living in India - the Asiatic lion. These have different characteristics to their African cousins and inhabit the protected Gir Forest in the state of Gurjarat.
 

Lions can hunt crocodiles

While lions typically hunt antelope, zebra and wildebeest, they will also hunt much more dangerous prey such as elephants and crocodiles. Conservationists have documented lions preying on crocodiles in Matusadona National Park in Zimbabwe, attacking them when they leave the water to scavenge from carcasses or find nesting sites. 
 

Some male lions live alone

The Lion Inside author, Rachel Bright, depicts the lion in her story as the ‘head of the pack’, in charge of a pride. However, not all male lions are this lucky. As shown in the illustrations by Jim Field, prides often have two or three males in them, but some males leave or are cast out. They often form groups called coalitions and hunt together; sometimes they’ll even challenge the males of a nearby pride in order to take it over.   
 

Lions are more closely related to jaguars than tigers

Lions and tigers are the two biggest wild cats and used to have overlapping territories in Asia. However, they are not as closely related as you might think. The common ancestors of tigers and snow leopards separated from those of lions, jaguars and leopards around 3-4 million years ago. That means lions and jaguars - which didn’t even live on the same landmass - are more closely related than lions are to tigers. 

Discover The Lion Inside

If your kids are fans of Rachel Bright and Jim Field’s The Lion Inside, don’t miss the chance to see the theatre show at London Southbank Centre this April. You’ll hear The Lion Inside read aloud, with intricate puppets helping to tell the story. The production is suitable for children aged three and up - book your tickets today.