The Lion & the Mouse

 

The Lion & the Mouse 

Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney




The Lion & the Mouse is a nearly wordless picture book illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. The book tells Aesop's classic fable of The Lion and the Mouse through Pinkney's beautiful illustrations. In 2010, Pinkney won the Caldecott Medal for his illustrations in this book, making him the first African American to win this award. The story takes place in the African Serengeti and begins with a mouse's life being spared by a lion. When the lion is later caught in a human trap, the mouse chews through the ropes to free the lion and repay him. 

    The illustrations in this book are absolutely stunning, and even without words, the story still relays an essential lesson about the value of kindness and how even the smallest creature can make a big difference. Additionally, the use of onomatopoetic animal sounds as the only words in the story added an element of motion and energy. I have used this book before in my class and the students always love the book! The illustrations captivate the students and the lack of words allows them to fully immerse themselves in the images. Especially with younger readers, this book is a great tool for teaching children how to interact with a book without getting caught up in the mechanics of reading. The wordless nature of the book also allows readers to interpret the stories themselves using their own experiences and beliefs instead of being given the words to read. While reading this book, I also thought about how great this book would be to use with English Language Learners. The lack of words in the book could be beneficial for emerging English readers so that they do not struggle to read, but are still able to understand the message of the story.

The Lion & the Mouse adapted and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (2009). 

For more information about Jerry Pinkney click here. 


Word Count: 295





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