Lion Lights: My Invention That Made Peace with Lions

About Richard TurereShelly Pollock

Richard Turere grew up as a Maasai cattle herder in Kenya and is an undergraduate student at the African Leadership University where he is studying Global Challenges with a focus on wildlife conservation. He invented Lion Lights at the age of 12 to protect his familys cows outside Nairobi National Park from lions scrounging parts from a junkyard and building the prototype for $15. Lion Lights are widely recognized for their singular ingenuity in promoting a sustainable peaceful coexistence between humans and wildlife and Richard shared his innovation with the world at the TED Global Stage in California. He received a special commendation from Africa Leadership Awards for his critical role in protecting and creating awareness around the crisis facing lions in Kenya. He is recognized as Kenyas youngest patent inventor and in 2018 received the Anzisha prize award. In 2020 he became a Young Natgeo explorer and he was a finalist at Future for Nature awards in 2021. Shelly Pollock taught remedial reading and math to children and adults in the US for twenty-five years. After retiring she and her husband sold everything and traveled in their RV and Jeep for fourteen years while Shelly wrote childrens stories on a moving table eventually settling in the Southwest. Shelly hopes that Lion Lights her debut picture book will inspire children everywhere to realize that no matter how young they are or how big their challenges they can accomplish anything. Sonia Maria Luce Possentini is an award-winning illustrator in Modena Italy. After earning a degree in Art History at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna she became a painter and illustrator and is a professor of illustration at the International School of Comics in Reggio Emilia. Sonia Possentini has illustrated thirteen award-winning childrens books including Night Creatures (2021 Millbrook Press); Hold On to Your Music (2021 Little Brown); and Lion Lights (2022 Tilbury House).