The Lion & The Mouse by Jerry Pinkney

Pinkney, J. (2009). The lion and the mouse. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company

Books for Young Readers.

The Lion & The Mouse by Jerry Pinkney is a wordless picture book that won the Caldecott Medal in 2010. The book tells the Aesop fable about a lion that shows an act of kindness by graciously saving the life of a mouse. Soon, though, the lion is the one in danger and the grateful mouse returns the favor and saves the life of the lion. The illustrations are beautifully crafted and intricately painted. Since the book has no words, the illustrations are crucial to the story and do a wonderful job of conveying the plot and message of the fable . The illustrator uses beautiful color and detail to represent the main characters, the lion and the mouse. Both characters show compassion and empathy through their decisions to save the life of the other. This book could easily be used from kindergarten through 5th grade. In kindergarten, the book could be used to help determine the sequence of a story since it is written in a sequential, straightforward manner. In first or second grade, it could be used as a catalyst for creating a story by having students write a story based on the pictures. In upper elementary grades, this book could be used to determine the theme of a story, particularly focusing on the theme of compassion and helping others. I really enjoyed reading this book and experiencing the story through the pictures. I definitely plan to use this book in my classroom or library in the future.

(Image from jerrypinkneystudio.com)