A lamb is saved from a hungry dragon by a valorous lion in this illustrated Christian allegory. Little lamb Nathaniel is lost. He remembers wanting to play, and perhaps running away from something, but he’s not sure how he ended up in a scary castle with his wool such a dirty mess. Things get much worse, though, when a dragon shows up. It threateningly tells Nathaniel that there’s nowhere to hide, and soon looms over the poor little creature. Just when all seems lost, a lion appears through the mist, and Nathaniel isn’t sure who’s more dangerous. Just as the dragon moves to attack, “The lion bravely pounced, and He scratched the beast’s eye. / Then the feisty dragon fell back with a ‘ROAR’ and a cry!” The battle is on, with the lion fighting to protect Nathaniel from the dragon’s flames. Though the reptilian beast bloodies his adversary’s paw in battle, it’s with that same paw that the lion marks Nathaniel as his own, forcing the dragon to give up. Finally, with the danger gone, the lion asks Nathaniel to follow him to freedom. Drawing on older Christian allegories, such as John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress as well as C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Hyslop uses the trappings of fantasy to retell the story of a savior who defends lost sheep through his own sacrifice. For readers already familiar with the story of Jesus, the parallels will be evident; others may find that the story doesn’t stand entirely on its own as a fantasy tale. In any case, Hyslop’s endnotes lay out his intended, direct correlations to Scripture. His rhymes are consistent throughout and mostly flow naturally. Jasinski’s painterly, full-color illustrations lend action and urgency to the tale, especially in showing the villainous dragon with a mouth that seems to drip lava. An earnest picture book that blends fantasy elements with straightforward religious symbolism. ~Kirkus Reviews~

Anthony Hyslop was born in St. Clair, Michigan in 1986, moved to northern Idaho at the age of 7 with his family, was home schooled, took his GED, and went into concrete flatwork, working for his father, and he has been doing that for the past 19 years. During that time he married his first love, Elizabeth in 2007. They have had 7 children, Clarence, Daphne, Dakota, Kirsten, Titus, Judah, and Caleb, the latter now living with the Lord. They have 15 chickens and a black cat named Rocky. Anthony loves Jesus, occasionally hunt, look for antlers, snorkel, go to the lake with the kids, go to the movies with his wife, and create new stories and write poetry from time to time. He believes all good things come from the Lord and be a good steward of what is given to you. You can check out some of his work and poetry on Facebook: Stories by Anthony Hyslop (@ahstories). Instagram: @ahpublishing

Publisher: AH! Publishing
Author: Anthony Luke Hyslop
Illustrator: Aleksander Jasinski
ISBN: 978-1-7338093
Size (H x W): 10x10
Weight: 1 pound
Cover Type: Hardcover
Number of Pages: 40
Language: English
Date Published: 2024-09-03