The Leopard Boy

Khalid spends his days looking after his uncle's goats. One day he follows the goats higher up the mountain than he has ever been before, only to discover that one of the kids is missing. But he does stumble upon the home of an old man who tells him about the danger faced by the last of the leopards. When Khalid gets home, his uncle angrily sets a trap for the creature he is sure has killed the lost goat. In the following days, Khalid and the old man discover signs of a leopard and determine to save it from Khalid's uncle. Then Khalid learns that his uncle plans to allow a mining company to destroy the mountain and the last thing he needs is to be foiled by the presence of an endangered and protected animal. This beautiful, timeless and inspiring story set in the Arabian peninsula highlights the dilemmas facing traditional peoples in seeking to improve their lives, and will captivate animal lovers concerned about plight of the Arabian leopard.

The author acknowledges the help of the Breeding Centre for Endangered Arabian Wildlife (BCEAW) which was opened in 1998, under the Environment and Protected Areas Authority (EPAA), Government of Sharjah. Situated approximately 25 km east of the city of Sharjah the BCEAW is the only one of four facilities making up the Sharjah Desert Park and is responsible for the captive breeding and research of the indigenous Arabian fauna. The BCEAW was purpose built for breeding regionally endangered wildlife, and also serves as a base for research into the mammal, reptile, freshwater fish, amphibian and invertebrate species which inhabit the Arabian Peninsula. The BCEAW is also the headquarters of the Captive Breeding Program for the Critically Endangered Arabian Leopard.

Julia Johnson trained as a drama teacher in the U.K., then moved to Dubai with her architect husband. She soon became a familiar face reading children's stories on Dubai television. She is keen to encourage awareness of the Arabian Peninsula's rich cultural heritage through her writing. She has toured schools and universities in the Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, and Kuwait with talks and workshops for students and teachers. Most of her books have been published by Stacey International, including One Humpy Grumpy Camel (2003), The Pearl Diver (2003), The Cheetah's Tale (2005), Saluki, Hound of the Bedouin (2005) and The Peacock and the Mermaid (2007). She now divides her time between Dubai and an old watermill in Worcestershire.

Marisa Lewis was born and grew up in Worcester, where she is studying Illustration at the University of Worcester. She illustrated Big Big Secrets by Robert Arley (SevernPIX). The Leopard Boy is her first book for Frances Lincoln.