The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney is a beautiful retelling of the well-known Aesop's fable of the lion and the mouse. However, in this book Pinkney keeps the text to a minimum and lets his STUNNING illustrations tell the story. Through the illustrations, this book retains to the basic storyline of a lion who graciously allows a captured mouse to escape, only to then be rescued by that same mouse when he gets caught in a trapper's net.
The
story may be familiar, but
this book definitely belongs at the top of the year's Caldecott Award
winners list. Pinkney's illustrations are lush, detailed, and full of
interesting perspectives that are used to great effect, like
the
close up shots of the
lion's face. STUNNING!
Interest Level: Preschool - 2nd Grade
Awards Won:
* Caldecott
Medal for 2010
* Horn
Book Awards Honor Book 2010
* New
York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book 2010
* School Library Journal Best Children's Books of 2009
Reviews
School Library Journal rightly promises that "the lack of
words... allows for a slower, subtle, and ultimately more satisfying
read." And, of course, the moral of this
Aesop's
fable--that no good deed goes unrewarded--is a timeless message
that all kids need to hear!
We LOVE Jerry Pinkney's illustrations. They are so stunning in actual size!
Related Activities
This book is a natural for a compare/contrast activity. Read this book aloud to your kids, and then read Jerry
Pinkney's retelling in Aesop's
Fables. Of course, there
are other
retellings that can be used as well. Or...the
website Learning to
Give has a nice lesson on reciprocity and the idea of kind deeds being
rewarded using this book. For a full write up of the lesson plan, please visit this page on the Learning to Give
website.
![]() BIG SAVINGS! Check out our discountedCaldecott Winning Books for just $2.75 |