A Lion Called Christian: The True Story of the Remarkable Bond Between Two Friends and a Lion Paperback – March 9, 2010

An amazing, heartwarming and heartbreaking account of the rescue of a lion cub from a probable future life in a circus or zoo. Christian, the lion cub, purchased from Harrods and raised for the first several months of his life in a home with friends, Ace Bourke and John Rendall, quickly outgrew his home,and a satisfactory solution had to be found. Fortunately, the two friends were able to take Christian to George Adamson (of Born Free fame) in Kenya, where George introduced Christian into the natural habitat where he belonged. The two friends left Christian in George's care and returned to London, but flew back to Kenya one year later to try and reunite with their former lion friend. The reunion was amazing as Christian remembered the two men and seemed as excited as they were to be able to hug and play again. After a few days of visiting, the men returned to London for another year. The second reunion turned out to be the last time the friends ever saw Christian. This is a story of a love and a bond between humans and a lion that is almost unbelievable. That they would go to the lengths that they did to be sure that Christian would have a chance at the life he was born to live was quite emotional. But more amazing than that to me was the obvious love and affection that this huge lion had for his two human friends. You won't be able to put this book down. A true story that you will never forget.

Received this book yesterday and read it cover to cover in about 4 hours, i could not put it down! It gives you a fantastic idea of what living with Christian was like and you realize just how cute, sweet and silly he really was. The part where they have to decide what to do with him is heartbreaking however. I wish the book ended happily but honestly it made me feel even more sad for Christian. The best thing we can do now is to never forget him as he was for many decades. This is def a must read for Christian fans!SPOILER!At the end of the book Christian wanders off alone and lonely since all the lions he made friends with were either killed or ran off with other wild lions. By the end of the book i really questioned that taking him to a country he was not a part of was such a good idea.My thinking is that while yes he is a lion, he was not an african lion. He was hand reared and loved being around people, you will see in the book how he loved eating treats and sleeping in a bed and other things he does. I think maybe if he had been able to have more time with Boy before he was killed Christian would have been ok. Since Boy was sadly shot im afraid it hurt Christian badly both because he lost his oldest and most valuable friend in such a hostile country.My hope is that he did have a happy life and did not feel abandoned cause he was truly loved by everyone. Maybe someday we will learn what happened to Christian, the most friendly and amazing lion ever!REMEMBER CHRISTIAN!!

Like many people, I fell in love with the 2008 YOUTUBE sensation video about Christian the Lion; I watched it over and over again. In 2009, some 38 years after the book wasfirst published A Lion Called Christian: The True Story of the Remarkable Bond between Two Friends and a Lion, by Anthony Bourke and John Rendell was revised and updated with more than 50 photographs. The book was a huge success and it reached the top 10 list at Amazon.com in early 2009.An uplifting story about man and beast by the authors who bought and the cute cuddly lion cub from Harrods in London. Bourke, Rendall and Christian lived in a flat above a furniture store in London . Christian received excellent care, regular exercise and love until the cub simply became to large to continue to live in captivity. Determined not to send the lion to a zoo for the rest of his life, arrangements were made to transport him to Kenya to integrate him into the wild with his own kind. One year later when Bourke and Rendall went out to visit, Christian seemed to recognize his former masters and greeted the two with a "lion's hug", captured on video.This book is truly a remarkable story about the bond between man and animal. The video was wonderful, and brought tears to my eyes whenever I watched it, however, the story and the photographs have so much more to tell. This gem of a book is just over 200 pages, and is sure to please animal lovers everywhere. Highly Recommended

I was midway through the book when I viewed the video on YouTube. (I actually recommend doing it this way.) Before long tears were spurting out of my eyes.It's an interesting experience reading about something that happened in the early 1970's, but reading it with today's perspective. One question that is never really answered: how did these young men, with no real jobs to speak of (at least none that were apparent in the book) get the money to buy a lion a Harrod's, feed him, and eventually ship him to Africa? They come across as slightly flaky. We all know lions are dangerous and get more so as they grow. However, the authors are self-aware, very sensitive to Christian and his moods, and somewhat lucky, and the combination allows them to have the experience of a lifetime.It was also very intriguing to get insight into the personalities of Joy and George Adamson. Since this is real life, there are unanswered questions and also bad things happen to good people. It's amazing that anyone could actually have the experience of owning a lion. Luckily these are good men who care deeply about doing the right thing for Christian, and everything works out as well as it possibly could.The writing style is OK, somewhat workmanlike. However, the subject matter is riveting. Read the book, watch the video, and marvel. You won't be sorry.

Bought this book after watching a you tube clip. A beautiful and moving story and all the more fascinating these days as the idea of a lion in your home & playing with it on a local green is totally impossible. These two men bought a lion knowing that they could not keep it forever and did the most amazing and right thing by returning it to the wild.If zoos around the world could be as magnanimous as these 2 men and return their "spare" animals to the wild rather than kill them, like the Danish zoo they would be doing something very great!!!!

I really enjoyed this wonderful story of Christian's life and the folk involved in it, well written with beautiful photos to accompany the text. Good-size text so an older children who reads well would also enjoy it I am sure.

Wonderful book. Recommend for anyone interested in a heart warming true story as well as those passionate about lions and George Adamson.

Great read if you love animals. The fact that it is a true story, together with all the wonderful photos, made it all the more engaging! I read the book and then passed it to my children (10 and 12). They both loved it! Highly recommended!

Brilliant! A beautiful story about tremendous love. I still cry whenever I watch the video clips of these two lovely men who go back to visit Christian twice after setting him free.