The Lion & The Mouse

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Click on the cover for a link to purchase the book.

2- Traditional Tales

Bibliography: Pinkney, J., & Aesop. (2009). The Lion & the Mouse: A Fable by Aesop. New York: Little Brown.

ISBN-13 : 978-0316013567

Plot Summary: Award winning artist Jerry Pinkney creates a wordless adaptation of an Aesop fable. True to the fable, the book starts off as a lion shows kindness in an unlikely way. The mouse escapes a predator only to find himself on the back of a lion. In an act of mercy, the lion allows the mouse to escape death once again. It isn’t long before the lion finds himself in an equally devastating situation. The lion’s predators are hunters that come into the African landscape and capture the lion in a rope trap. The mouse hears the thunderous roars of the lion and finds his way to him, to repay his kindness. Pinkney gives us a glimpse into the world of each creature with his stunning art work. The fable shows us kindness and mercy will bring its reward. Our deeds are not always matched with our size.

Analysis: The book captures the reader at first glance. The cover shows the lion in all of his golden glory looking to the side. When you flip the book over you can see he is looking at a small mouse the same size as the blades of grass he is standing in. Although the title is only on the spine, there is no doubt this is the story of the lion and the mouse. The title page creatively shows the reader just how different the characters are, as the small brown mouse stands in the footprint of the lion. The book is wordless except for the onomatopoeias sprinkled throughout mostly to announce animals. The mouse’s “squeaks” are small like him, while the lion’s powerful “roar” takes up two pages. The only exception is the “putt, putt” of a car which turns out to be a worthy predator. The illustrations are done with watercolor in the beautiful tones of the African savannah. In the true tradition of fables, the book does not spend time on character development or setting details. However, the illustrations of the animals with their families give the reader a sense of their importance and why their survival was a wonderful gift. Without words, the book focuses on the moral of the story. Big acts of kindness can be preformed by everyone no matter your size.

Reviews:

“A nearly wordless exploration of Aesop’s fable of symbiotic mercy that is nothing short of masterful.” Kirkus 

“A delightful, old-fashioned version of the tale. With lively detail…the pictures reflect the danger and coziness, and are just right for their preschool audience.” Booklist

Awards: As listed on Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database

Connections:

*Pair this book with other fables, read the same story that includes words. Use this version to teach “think alouds”. Model how you look for clues in pictures to help you understand the story.

The Lion and The Mouse by Jairo Buitrajo ISBN-13 : 978-1773062242

*Discuss how the lion’s kindness saved his life in the end. Start a kindness collection. Keep a list of acts of kindness the kids see in everyday life as well as in books.

Accommodations:

*To help students understand the elements of fables, have a class chart available to use when a fable is read. Have sections to list; animals, conflict, lesson. Help students list each element in each story throughout the unit.

*Retell is an important part of comprehension. Make character puppets for the students to use to retell the story in their own words. Have them record themselves using an app such as ChatterPix.

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