The Lion & The Mouse

This book is a wordless adaptation of an Aesop fable. The tale is staged in the African Serengeti of Tanzania and Kenya. In the tale, a mouse disturbs a lion in his sleep, but the lion lets the mouse go. The mouse later returns the favor of the lion by freeing her from a poacher's net. The moral is simple: No act of kindness is ever wasted.

As I was reading this tale, I found myself "talking" the story out loud even though I wasn't reading it to anyone. The drawings, prepared with pencil, watercolor and colored pencils on paper, make up for the lack of words because you have to read them so closely, by repeating to yourself what is happening in the picture. You might say to yourself "The lion is walking into the trap that the poachers just set! Oh No!"

Awards this book won include Publishers Weekly Best Children's Books, the Caldecott Medal, School Library Journal's Best Books of the Year, Boston Globe Horn Book Awards. The Lion & The Mouse also appeared on the best seller lists for the New York Times, Amazon.com, Publishers Weekly, and Barnes and Noble. A review from School Library Journal states "This story starts on the cover with the glorious, golden countenance of a lion." The review also states that "Moments of affection and humor complete the drama."

The beauty of Pinkney's version of this classic is in the fact that the story is told through the glorious drawings. They are more engaging than any words could ever be. This is obvious in the high sales and massive number of awards that grace the cover of this "text."

As an adult, "reading" this story with children in mind, it is obvious to point out what is happening early in the story, but after you have modeled a few pages to ask children "What do you see happening here?" Then, perhaps younger children who don't know how to read can feel the rewards of being a reader.

Before reading, be sure to ask kids "What do you think would happen if you woke a lion up from a nap?" Of course, this tale is easily acted out by children after a close "reading." Some drawings, like the one on the opening flap of the book might be useful to a class studying the Serengeti.

In my humble opinion as a library science student, I believe that this "text" belongs in every library collection of children's books. The art and the moral of the story will be timelessly captivating.

Pinkney, Jerry. The Lion & The Mouse. New York: Little, Brown and Company, Books for Young Readers, 2009.