The Snow Lion by Jim Helmore and Richard Jones
Beautifully done, this is a tale of moving to a new place and finding your feet and making friends. Artist Richard Jones has a great delicacy with colour and an expressive use of form and space. He has done a great job (and so have the Chinese printers) of making the lion almost, but not quite, invisible on some pages, a lovely metaphor for a guide or invisible friend.
Lion is a true friend, playing with Caro when she needs reassurance and then encouraging her when she is ready to step out to her new world and find friends waiting for her.
Jim Helmore has wisely let the pictures do a lot of the work; his words both appreciate how scary the unfamiliar can feel and add to the fun.
