The Lion and the Unicorn

Shirley Hughes

Red Fox, 2000 - Juvenile Fiction - 63 pages

This special edition includes stories from real-life evacuees, uncovered from the Imperial War Museums.

When Lenny's father goes to fight in the Second World War, he gives his son a brass badge with two animals engraved on it: a lion for bravery and a unicorn for courage.

Then, Lenny himself must go away, as he is evacuated from his home and family to escape the bombing. Staying in a strange new place, Lenny gathers all his lion bravery, all his unicorn courage, and discovers that magic can happen, even in the most desperate of times.

Packed with incredible illustrations, this heart-warming story is accessible for readers of all ages.

No one can match Shirley Hughes in the simple mastery of both words and pictures - Times Educational Supplement

About the author

Author and illustrator Shirley Hughes was born near Liverpool, U. K. on July 16, 1927. She studied drawing and costume design at Liverpool School of Art and the Ruskin School of Drawing in Oxford. At first, she was an illustrator of other author's works, but in 1960 she published Lucy and Tom's Day, which was the first book she wrote and illustrated. Since then, she has written over 50 books and has illustrated 200 children's books. In 2015, she wrote a young adult novel entitled, Hero on a Bicycle. She won the Kate Greenaway Medal for Dogger in 1977, the Eleanor Farjeon Award for distinguished services to children's literature in 1984, and the OBE for services to children's literature in 1998. Hughes was given two Honorary Degrees, one from the University of Liverpool in 2004, and the other from the University of Chester in 2012. In 2017, she was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). Shirley Hughes died at her home in London on February 25, 2022. She was 94.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Lion and the Unicorn; A Red Fox book
• Author: Shirley Hughes
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: Red Fox, 2000
• ISBN: 0099256088, 9780099256083
• Length: 63 pages
• Subjects: Juvenile Fiction / Fantasy & Magic; Juvenile Fiction / General; Juvenile Fiction / Historical / Military & Wars; Juvenile Fiction / Legends, Myths, Fables / General