Books like In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day — picked by fans

Though Tolkien’s Middle-earth was a centerpiece of fantasy for me, Lewis’ Narnia offset and balanced the more serious grave nature of Middle-earth with its more light-hearted adventures told through the eyes of children, where it feels like a fairy tale as everything in its world is simply extraordinary. 

The Chronicles of Narnia’s symbolism strikes me as being straightforward in its Christian allegory, which I find quite relatable. The aspect of being as children following the will of “our Heavenly Father” (in their case, walking in Aslan’s guidance) in what is truly a beautiful and imperfect world resonates so well with me, as it is a beautiful picture.

Its fairy tale style fantasy as a magical world just brings out the beauty of fantasy when its storytelling is kept simple. A simple beauty from levity, I love in contrast to the sorrowful beauty of Middle-earth that affects me on a… show more.

I loved this story! The world is darker than I expected but tactfully done. I found myself shivering with the descriptions of the fangs and getting angry at them, right along with the characters, when they did awful things—which was always.

I loved the forest, full of freshly created dangerous creatures I’d not read about before. I was tickled to read about the treehouse, and the treetop walk within this forest as it reminded me of some elements in my own story.

I found myself hoping Janner, a 12-year-old boy, would uncover the truth about his family and respected his determination to do so. I was often anxious about his younger sister's pet dog as I'm not fond of seeing pets harmed.

An excellent start to the series.

I have found this book to be outstanding on almost all of life’s major philosophical questions, to the extent that I have not only read it at least a half dozen times but also taught it as a course, working through the book one chapter at a time.

It deals with arguably all the most important questions in life, including love, the problem of injustice and suffering, the existence of God, and human nature. I especially love C.S. Lewis’s ability to address deep subjects in everyday language in such an enjoyable and engaging way.

In this highly character-driven book, Backman shows how a grieving man, an undeniable grouch on the outside, can influence an entire neighborhood in a positive way.

Sometimes the most unlikely people can change their behavior, and even the behavior of others. We learn from him that a change in one’s perspective helps us prioritize what is really important in our lives and even the world.

I’ve always been committed to personal growth, and as a high-achiever, I’m constantly setting new goals. This book is a faith-based guide to transforming your life by aligning your habits with your God-given identity. He offers a paradigm shift that argues that lasting change doesn’t come from willpower alone but from changing how you see yourself through the lens of who God says you are.

This has informed the way I see my goals and has taught me that if I want to change my behavior or accomplish a goal, I need to renew my mind systems, and relying on God’s strength, I can break negative patterns and form new, life-giving habits. I recommend this book to all the women I work with as a life coach, and it’s been the most practical and powerful book that has contributed to my recent professional and personal success. 

There’s always a lot going on in my mind that I’m probably unaware of. My thoughts or “conclusions” about how things are going or how things will go are often based on false assumptions or beliefs I have about myself and God. Those false beliefs break me in certain ways, wreaking havoc on my nerves. When I picked up Groeschel’s book, I was happy to find him focusing on some simple concepts from brain science that help us see how we can develop new helpful "thought paths" to direct us to the truth, hope, and peace of who God is and what he's done for us. The war that’s going on in our minds demands participation, even though I end up being an observer much of the time. This book gave me some concrete resources to break some of my destructive thought patterns and replace them with new ones, provided… show more.

I knew I’d love this book as soon as I read the first few lines. “Congratulations on your new lion! We know you ordered a kitten, but we ran out of those.” This hilarious how-to book provides the main character with all the instructions they need to care for their purrrrfect pet. The straightforward text pairs perfectly with the comical illustrations to show the chaotic reality of caring for an oversized feline friend. As someone whose own pets have brought both enormous destruction and enormous love, I found myself rooting for this fierce friendship. There are also tons of hilarious details in the illustrations. The pizza flavors alone will leave kids laughing and begging for more. This picture book is a roaring good time! 

A Lion in Paris is the story about a Lion who moves to Paris to find a job, love, and a future. The book is a beautiful portrayal of what it’s like to be a stranger in a new city, especially one as big and busy as Paris. You may feel a bit lonely at first, but with time you’ll be able to find your own special place. 

This book is motivated by the global uproar over the killing of Cecil, an African lion, by an American trophy hunter. The author is the researcher who made it his purpose to learn about lions from Cecil’s life and about humans’ relationships with lions through Cecil’s death.

I love the book for demonstrating the power that is unleashed when we care enough to name a wild animal, and that caring is reinforced by subsequently discovering that they have story-filled lives. The book warmed my heart when I found the book’s author–who has the felt responsibility and privilege of telling these stories–to be as lion-hearted as Cecil. 

I know, the title sounds like a downer, especially for kids, but the book is full of new learning, acceptance, and even dealing with revenge. I loved it. And since the title already gives away the scary moment, your young reader doesn’t have to feel nervous.

The story, which takes place in Africa, is simple and powerful and even though the moment of loss is alarming and sad, the story doesn’t slide into sentimentality. In the end, Pedru, the main character, is able to put away his need for revenge and ultimately embrace lion conservation. The book transported me to Africa and lion country. It made me think, too, about hard forgiveness. The best kids’ books are ones that intrigue us as adults. Nailed.