Lioness

Award-winning author

British Book Awards Illustrator of the Year

$18.99 US

RUN! HIDE! My mom is a lioness and she’s on the prowl.

Is Mom a lioness?

She loves her “cubs,” she can run faster than anything, and she can catch you in a single pounce for cuddles and kisses. She always makes sure you can hear her incredibly loud, proud roar.

What else could Mom be but a lioness?

But sometimes, especially when her young ones are upset or scared, a lovely warm, protective lioness embrace is just what is needed.

For my darling Bud —S.H. To Lorna, Kaltoun, Penny and the team at Macmillan for helping me bring this book to the finish line —D.A.

My Mom Is a Lioness This edition published in 2023 by Red Comet Press, LLC, Brooklyn, NY Originally published as My Mum I s a Lioness in 2022 by Macmillan Children’s Books, an imprint of Pan Macmillan, London, England Text copyright © 2022 Swapna Haddow Illustrations copyright © 2022 Dapo Adeola All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Control Number: 2022941214 ISBN (HB): 978-1-63655-063-3 ISBN (EBOOK): 978-1-63655-071-8 Printed in China

RedCometPress.com

Written by

Illustrated by

RED COMET PRESS • BROOKLYN

! n u R

E D I H !

My mom is a

lioness.

“Oh my goodness, you are

so cute!

I could just gobble you up.”

See?

She’s been chasing babies all day,

laying down her catch on the floor.

And now she’s on the hunt for bigger prey.

You can’t outrun my mom.

She will catch you in a single

pounce . . .

. . . because she is a mighty

lioness.

She spends all day thinking about how best to

serve you up.

Perhaps you will be tossed in a wrap.

Perhaps you will be seasoned.

And perhaps you will be roasted and toasted and drizzled in oil.

Because she is an imaginative lioness.

Sometimes she hunts in a pride.

No one

is safe from the aunties.

She

roars louder than anyone.

ooooo!” h a W “

Even Dad.

Even Grandad.

She always makes me show off for all the aunties because she is a very proud lioness.

She paws at my hair and pinches my cheeks.

And the pride joins in too.

Mom loooo o o ves sports.

She teaches me how to chase

and how to pounce and how to leap higher than all the other cubs.

Because she is a tireless

lioness . . .

But I’m still learning.

” !

M 0 “M

She carries me to safety and covers me in licks.

Her strong, warm

lioness

HUGS make everything better.

My mom might be a lioness but there isn’t anyone I’d rather cuddle with than my mom.

Besides, there are beasts fiercer than lionesses . . .

Wait until you see my little sister’s

BITE!

Swapna Haddow is the award-winning author of several children’s books, including the bestselling Dave Pigeon series.

Swapna lives in New Zealand with her husband, their son, and their dog. You can usually find Swapna writing, reading, or eating Jaffa Cakes. Sometimes you might find her doing all three at the same time. swapnahaddow.co.uk

Dapo Adeola has illustrated several picture books, including Rocket Says Look Up!, written by Nathan Bryon, and Hey You! An Empowering Celebration of Growing Up Black. London-born, of Nigerian heritage, he is an avid believer in the importance of equal representation in the creative arts. Dapo Adeola lives in London, England. In 2022 he was named illustrator of the year at the British Book Awards. For more information find him on Twitter @DapsDraws.

Jacket illustrations © 2023 Dapo Adeola Printed in China

RedCometPress.com

r cuddles and kiss o f s e c n u o es?

W ho p enough to go e t u c m I s b bl e k ’ n i h t up W ho loudest, proude

e h t s a h d an

M y mo

st R O

AR?

!

S S m, the LIONE

A hilarious tale about a wildly imaginative boy and his loving family.

Praise for My Dad Is a Grizzly Bear

“A fabulous picture book: bold, playful and wonderfully heartwarming.

The book has a gorgeous father/son relationship at its core and is a celebration of family life and family love.”

—Get Kids Into Books

“Huge fun to read aloud.”

—The Guardian

ISBN 978-1-63655-063-3

9 781636 550633

51899

$18.99 US