Jim is very seriously ill. No specific condition is mentioned, but he needs an operation - one that can go wrong - and he is frightened. Nurse Bami, from Africa, senses that his confidence needs encouraging if he is to come through, and she helps him think himself into a secret place - a place where he has been before and where he felt good. Jim remembers a visit to the seaside when he was particularly happy. Into this place comes his 'finder', in his case a lion, and Jim must learn not to be afraid of the lion. Bami gives him a painted pebble, a don't-run stone, which gives him the strength to face up to the lion. Jim is able to walk into the dark (the operation) with his guardian angel lion following behind, and all is well. This unusual and very beautiful book will have layers of meaning for the sensitive child. The soft, glowing colours of the illustrations combine the realism of the hospital bed with the fantasy of Jim's dream life; the fact that Bami insists that Jim's 'good place' and his 'finder' must stay secret to him and be shared with no one (not even her) helps us understand that is is only from within ourselves that strength can come. Outstanding.