Bertie rescues an orphaned white lion cub from the African veld. All my life I’ll think of you, I promise I will. The story was inspired by a number of different things – Michael’s boyhood memories, the experiences of Chris McBride with the lions of Timbavati, a meeting Michael had with the actress Viginia McKenna – a great supporter of lions and their welfare, the true story of a World War 1 soldier who saved some circus animals in France, and the glimpse from a train window of the chalk white horse near Westbury. A lyrical and moving tale of a young boy growing up in Africa, and his lifelong friendship with a white lion.Kaspar – Prince of Cats, Tom’s Sausage Lion, Mossop’s Last Chance, Adolphus Tips and The Nine Lives of Montezuma are also about cats. The Butterfly Lion is not the only one of Michael Morpurgo’s books to feature a cat.When Michael Morpurgo was asked to name his favourite of the books he’s written, he named The Butterfly Lion (along with Kensuke’s Kingdom, War Horse and Private Peaceful).The story was reworked for the stage by Daniel Buckroyd and the show was performed in theaters all over the UK.These experiences made it into The Butterfly Lion. Michael Morpurgo was unhappy at boarding school, and, when he was seven, he ran away. Natalie Cassidy named The Butterfly Lion as her favourite book on the BBC Bringing Books to Life feature.The book won the 1996 Smarties Book Prize.The Butterfly Lion was first published by Collins in 1996.
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