Happy Leo: A collection of fairy tales. Fatio L.

The book “Happy Leo” included two stories about the adventures of a sweet and friendly lion living in the zoo of a small French town: “Happy Leo” and “Vacations of a happy lion”. These fairy tales were created by the American artist Roger Duvoisen in the 1950s and 1960s in collaboration with his wife Louise Fatio, and over the past decades became the classic of children's literature.

The Happy Leo. The happy Lev lived in a zoo, where he had a cozy house, a spacious courtyard, and even his own rock with a large cave. Every day, visitors to the zoo greeted with a happy lion and treated him with pieces of meat and all sorts of goodies. Leo did not need anything and considered all the townspeople to his big friends. But one morning, the minister of the zoo forgot to lock the grate that enclosed the lion's possessions. The happy Lev decided to take this opportunity to go to the city and visit all his friends. But, to the great amazement of the lion, people, instead of joyfully greeting him, shied to the sides in horror, fainted or hid home. The lion was discouraged, he did not understand why all those who were so kind to him in the zoo are now behaving so strange and, to put it mildly, impolite. And only the little Francois, the son of a zoo caretaker, was truly delighted, meeting a happy lion on the street. The boy hugged him tightly, patted the lush mane and offered to take him back to the zoo, with which Lev readily agreed.

“The holidays of a happy lion”. Summer came to a small French town, and Francois, the son of a zoo, decided to go to the sea with his best friend of the lion. There were many adventures on the road: a trip in the car of a lovely elderly lady, and a flight in a balloon, and swimming on the ship. In the end, the travelers safely returned home, and the happy Leo again concluded for himself that the world outside the zoo, although very curious, but some is too fucked up.

about the further adventures of a happy lion, you can read In the book "Three Happy Leo".