Where Kings Go
by Janine PetracekPublish: Aug 10, 2026Children'sBook Overview
A scar is not a hurt. A scar is a story.”Everyone in the Mara knows Scar, the great lion king with the healed scar over one eye. He survived a terrible fight when he was young. He rules the golden grass with his three brothers. And he is Papa to two small cubs — Tatu, whose roar is still a squeak, and Red, with fur like the evening sun.
But one season, Papa begins to walk slower. He rests longer in the shade. And Tatu must learn the hardest lesson of the savanna: that being sick is not a fight to be won, that even kings die — and that love is not like a body. It does not wear out. It stays.
Told through Tatu’s eyes, Where Kings Go helps children ages 3–10 understand serious illness, death, and grief with gentle honesty — using real words instead of confusing phrases, and making room for every way a child grieves, whether they roar at the sky or go quiet in the shade.
Inspired by the true story of Scarface, the world’s most famous lion, who lived to a rare old age and died peacefully in Kenya’s Maasai Mara in 2021. The illustrations were inspired by photographs the author took of him with her own eyes.
Includes “About the real Scar” and “A note for grown-ups” with guidance for talking to children about death and grief.
Perfect for families facing the illness or loss of a parent or grandparent, for grief counselors and hospice workers, and for anyone who has ever loved a king.
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