Michael Morpurgo - The Butterfly Lion

HarperCollins Children’s Books a division of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, 1 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

Text copyright © Michael Morpurgo 1996. Illustrations copyright © Christian Birmingham 1996

Cover photographs © Martin Harvey; Gallo Images/CORBIS (Lion Cub); Royalty-Free/CORBIS (Savanna)

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HarperCollins Publishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication

Source ISBN: 9780007317356

Ebook Edition © NOVEMBER 2011 ISBN: 9780007380626

Version: 2019-01-04

For Virginia McKenna

Cover Page

Title Page

Copyright Copyright Copyright Dedication Preface Chilblains and Semolina Pudding Strange Meeting Timbavati Bertie and the Lion Running Free The Frenchman Strawbridge And All’s Well A Lot of Old Codswallop The White Prince A Miracle, A Miracle! The Butterfly Lion And the Lion Shall Lie Down with the Lamb Adonis Blues Keep Reading About the Author Also by Michael Morpurgo About the Publisher HarperCollins Children’s Books a division of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, 1 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF www.harpercollins.co.uk Text copyright © Michael Morpurgo 1996. Illustrations copyright © Christian Birmingham 1996 Cover photographs © Martin Harvey; Gallo Images/CORBIS (Lion Cub); Royalty-Free/CORBIS (Savanna) All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books. HarperCollins Publishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication Source ISBN: 9780007317356 Ebook Edition © NOVEMBER 2011 ISBN: 9780007380626 Version: 2019-01-04

Dedication For Virginia McKenna

Preface Preface The Butterfly Lion grew from several magical roots: the memories of a small boy who tried to run away from school a long time ago; a book about a pride of white lions discovered by Chris McBride; a chance meeting in a lift with Virginia McKenna, actress and champion of lions and all creatures born free; a true story of a soldier of the First World War who rescued some circus animals in France from certain death; and the sighting from a train of a white horse carved out on a chalky hillside near Westbury in Wiltshire. To Chris McBride, to Virginia McKenna and to Gina Pollinger – many, many thanks. And to you the reader – enjoy it! MICHAEL MORPURGO February 1996

Chilblains and Semolina Pudding

Strange Meeting

Timbavati

Bertie and the Lion

Running Free

The Frenchman

Strawbridge

And All’s Well

A Lot of Old Codswallop

The White Prince

A Miracle, A Miracle!

The Butterfly Lion

And the Lion Shall Lie Down with the Lamb

Adonis Blues

Keep Reading

About the Author

Also by Michael Morpurgo

About the Publisher

The Butterfly Lion grew from several magical roots: the memories of a small boy who tried to run away from school a long time ago; a book about a pride of white lions discovered by Chris McBride; a chance meeting in a lift with Virginia McKenna, actress and champion of lions and all creatures born free; a true story of a soldier of the First World War who rescued some circus animals in France from certain death; and the sighting from a train of a white horse carved out on a chalky hillside near Westbury in Wiltshire.

To Chris McBride, to Virginia McKenna and to Gina Pollinger – many, many thanks. And to you the reader – enjoy it!

MICHAEL MORPURGO

February 1996

Butterflies live only short lives. They flower and flutter for just a few glorious weeks, and then they die. To see them, you have to be in the right place at the right time. And that’s how it was when I saw the butterfly lion – I happened to be in just the right place, at just the right time. I didn’t dream him. I didn’t dream any of it. I saw him, blue and shimmering in the sun, one afternoon in June when I was young. A long time ago. But I don’t forget. I mustn’t forget. I promised them I wouldn’t.