by

Disclosure: This post brought to you by Ryan Czar Tracey.

Ryan Tracey is an Australian education professional who wrote his first children’s story under the pen name “Czar” because that’s what his younger brother used to call him when he was a toddler. When he wrote and self-published Ryan the Lion several years ago, bullying was as at least as much as a problem as it always had been. In the school yard, on the street, even in the office, some people with psychological issues of their own have sought opportunities to deflect their pain onto others and it has typically been those who are unique or different in some way who have taken the brunt.

These days, bullying’s insidious variant – cyberbullying – is a growing problem. Give some people a new tool for communication, and they’ll use it as a weapon of choice. Now these cowards behind the keyboard can veil their barbs and threats in a cloak of anonymity. It was with this trend in mind that Mr. Tracey wrote Ryan the Lion. In the story, Ryan is a lion cub who acts like the other animals in the jungle because he thinks they are cooler than lions. In doing so, however, he attracts their ridicule. As Ryan grows up, however, his mane gets longer and his roar develops. Soon he attracts admiration, and he feels pride in being himself.

The message of the book is actually a plea for children (and adults) to feel comfortable in their own skin, to feel loved and valued and confident, not despite being different but because of it. You can purchase a copy of Ryan the Lion from Amazon for $7.19!