How a fictional lion inspired thousands of acts of kindness across Liverpool

When Liverpool author Sheryl Webster first created her ‘rock star’ lion character Jonny Heart she hoped he would help children to understand the importance of being kind.

Now, almost two years since her book Kindness Rocks was published, it’s not only captured the imaginations of young children in schools across the city, it’s inspired thousands of acts of kindness.

They have included thousands of pairs of socks collected and given out through Paper Cup Coffee to people who are homeless, Kindness Comfort Bears donated to CashForKids Mission Christmas, 500 scarves knitted for homeless people and the creation of a kindness garden by young adults with autism at EPIC in Speke.

As National Year of Reading 2026 launches this week, Sheryl says her book – and its ongoing impact on young readers especially – proves the power of fiction goes further just escapism.

She says:

“When National Year of Reading launched, they were saying how reading unlocks kids’ imaginations, but I think it can also unlock empathy and confidence. If a child sees themselves reflected or sees a character that they care about, it’s not just helping them to understand their own feelings, it’s helping them to understand the world.

“I created my rock star lion to show kids that it’s cool to be kind, not in a preachy way but in a way that’s fun. 

“But it’s grown beyond that because children have really connected with this character so it’s taken on a life of its own, one which even I didn’t imagine.

“This is my 40^th children’s book and it’s been like nothing else I’ve ever done.”

Former teacher Sheryl, who lives in south Liverpool, says launching it in her home city has certainly helped generate such a positive reaction.

“Liverpool’s got a big heart as we all know, it’s a city built on community and looking out for one another, and whenever I’ve done anything and invited schools to take part, the children, the schools and the parents haven’t hesitated.

“Liverpool doesn’t just talk about kindness, it shows it – it’s brought the book and the characters off the pages and into action, and made kids feel they don’t just have to enjoy the story, they can be inspired by it and actually do something good.”

Although most of the acts of kindness have been by children and parents who’ve read the book, Sheryl says it’s touched older readers too.

“When we encouraged people to knit scarves for the homeless, most of the knitters were from local groups and in their 70s and 80s,” she adds. “I went in and read the book to them too and they all loved it.”

After the success of Kindness Rocks, this year Sheryl is developing it from a picture book to an illustrated early reader series aimed at children aged 5-9.

“The books will have six characters so it’s a bit like Friends for kids, and each character has their own story, with Johnny as the anchor. 

“The reason I’ve decided to do this is when I’ve gone into schools to read with younger children and the other classes have come in, the older ones have been really switched on in picking up the underlying messages. 

“I thought why not develop it into something children of all ages can benefit from?

“What I’ve found with Kindness Rocks is that you can create a ripple effect, right across the community – one group hears and another gets in touch and it just keeps going. 

“This year I’ll be going back out into schools, and my focus will be to continue to grow the kindness, with more schools and more community projects, really helping children to turn this story into positive action.”

Find out more about Kindness Rocks here.

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