I delight in the children who sparkle in my city: children aflame with both trauma and triumph. In this story, I wanted to capture the vulnerability and celebrate the vibrancy of these children. If I had succeeded, fireworks would surely burst from each page.
Lions for Ajax is joyfully set in a world where gender is a gift from a wise and loving God to be lived for His glory. I wrote it for children I love who struggle to accept and live their gender as a gift. Some of the characters in Lions for Ajax revel in the gift of their gender. Other characters live sham distortions of their gender but find the joy of repentance. Others wrestle with the gift of their gender but take courageous steps to live the wonder of their masculinity or femininity for the glory of God.
The accompanying study guide helps families dig more deeply into the beauty and symmetry of God’s good design for gender. It is one thing to weave a tale with a few fence posts amid the backyard flowers. It is another thing to hang signs on the fence posts saying, “This is the way— the joyful way. Walk ye in it.” That is the aim of the study guide. May it help children who anguish over their gender to find God-glorifying hope. May it help families to exalt the goodness of God in creating a gendered humanity. As for where the lions come in, you’ll have to read the book to find out!
—Nancy Snyder, author of Lions for Ajax and The Gospel for Moving Targets
Lions for Ajax is available now as an ebook. We will begin offering pre-orders for the paperback edition soon.