Book Cover
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Book Summary
Jerry Pinkney's The Lion & The Mouse is a wordless book for the well know Aesop's fable. The whole fable is told in illustrations with words that represent sounds
My interpretation of the illustrations -
As the sun rises in the east, an owl hoots above a little mouse. The owl suddenly dives down in an attempt to catch the mouse. The mouse quickly runs away to safety he considers, but doesn't know that her appearance disturbs a restful lion. The lion grabs the mouse by its tail with a loud roar. The mouse begs for forgiveness and the lion lets her go.The mouse returns safely to her home to her young.
Two hunters set out a trap hoping to capture a big African animal.One day the lion walks right into the trap set up by the hunters and is hanging in a net off the tree branches. The lion roars and roars and struggles to free himself from the net. The mouse hears the lion's roar and reaches the lion. Out of appreciation since the lion agreed to set her free, the mouse starts to chew on the ropes of the net. She chews and chews and chews. She chews and chews and chews. She chews till the lion falls and reaches the ground. The lion thanks the mouse and the mouse leaves with a knot of the net to her nest.
Reference
Pinkney, J. (2009). The lion & the mouse, Hachette Book Group, Inc.
Librarian's Corner
The Lion & The Mouse is an excellent tool to teach children many skills in reading and writing. This wordless version of the well-known Aesop's fable encourages readers to pay attention to the details in the illustrations and tell the story using their own vocabulary. The book also demonstrates that illustrations are just as powerful as words and that the number of words on each page does not have a direct relationship between reading and comprehension. The story teaches readers that no matter the sizes of you, your willingness to help just might benefit the vast world around you. It also shows that every creature deserves respect despite their sizes.
Reviews
From Booklist
Starred Review* The intricate lion's face that crowds the cover of Pinkney's latest folktale adaptation is unaccompanied by any title or credits, and that is entirely appropriate there are no words inside, either. Through illustration alone Pinkney relates the well-known Aesop fable of the mouse who is captured by a lion, only to be unexpectedly released. Then, when the lion finds himself trapped by hunters, it is the mouse who rescues him by gnawing through the twine. Pinkney bends his no-word rule a bit with a few noises that are worked into the art ("Screeeech" when an owl dives; "Putt-Putt-Putt" when the hunters' jeep arrives), but these transgressions will only encourage young listeners to get involved with read-along sessions. And involved they will be how could they not get drawn into watercolors of such detail and splendor? Pinkney's soft, multihued strokes make everything in the jungle seem alive, right down to the rocks, as he bleeds color to indicate movement, for instance, when the lion falls free from the net. His luxuriant use of close-ups humanizes his animal characters without idealizing them, and that's no mean feat. In a closing artist's note, Pinkney talks about his choice to forgo text. Preschool-Grade 1
Kraus, D. (July 2009). [Review on The ion & the mouse by Jerry Pinkney.] Booklist, 105(21).
From Kirkus
nearly wordless exploration of Aesop's fable of symbiotic mercy that is nothing short of masterful. A mouse, narrowly escaping an owl at dawn, skitters up what prove to be a male lion's tail and back. Lion releases Mouse in a moment of bemused gentility and when subsequently ensnared in a poacher's rope trap reaps the benefit thereof. Pinkney successfully blends anthropomorphism and realism, depicting Lion's massive paws and Mouse's pink inner ears along with expressions encompassing the quizzical, hapless and nearly smiling. He plays, too, with perspective, alternating foreground views of Mouse amid tall grasses with layered panoramas of the Serengeti plain and its multitudinous wildlife. Mouse, befitting her courage, is often depicted heroically large relative to Lion. Spreads in watercolor and pencil employ a palette of glowing amber, mouse-brown and blue-green. Artist-rendered display type ranges from a protracted "RRROAARRRRRRRRR" to nine petite squeaks from as many mouselings. If the five cubs in the back endpapers are a surprise, the mouse family of ten, perched on the ridge of father lion's back, is sheer delight. Unimpeachable. (author's note) 2009, Little, Brown, 40p, $16.99. Category: Picture book. Ages 3 to 6. Starred Review. © 2009 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review.(August 2009). [Review on The ion & the mouse by Jerry Pinkney.] Kirkus Review, 77(15).
Value to the Library
There is a huge fairy tale and folktale unit in the language arts curriculum in my school district. I will show the students who come through the library as a class during their fairy tale/folktale unit, especially the lower grades and have the students help me tell the story, The Lion & The Mouse, as their retell. It is also a great tool to use to review visualization for composing a story. It is a book that can be used multiple times for different lessons!
Jerry Pinkney's The Lion & The Mouse is a wordless book for the well know Aesop's fable. The whole fable is told in illustrations with words that represent sounds
My interpretation of the illustrations -
As the sun rises in the east, an owl hoots above a little mouse. The owl suddenly dives down in an attempt to catch the mouse. The mouse quickly runs away to safety he considers, but doesn't know that her appearance disturbs a restful lion. The lion grabs the mouse by its tail with a loud roar. The mouse begs for forgiveness and the lion lets her go.The mouse returns safely to her home to her young.
Two hunters set out a trap hoping to capture a big African animal.One day the lion walks right into the trap set up by the hunters and is hanging in a net off the tree branches. The lion roars and roars and struggles to free himself from the net. The mouse hears the lion's roar and reaches the lion. Out of appreciation since the lion agreed to set her free, the mouse starts to chew on the ropes of the net. She chews and chews and chews. She chews and chews and chews. She chews till the lion falls and reaches the ground. The lion thanks the mouse and the mouse leaves with a knot of the net to her nest.
Reference
Pinkney, J. (2009). The lion & the mouse, Hachette Book Group, Inc.
Librarian's Corner
The Lion & The Mouse is an excellent tool to teach children many skills in reading and writing. This wordless version of the well-known Aesop's fable encourages readers to pay attention to the details in the illustrations and tell the story using their own vocabulary. The book also demonstrates that illustrations are just as powerful as words and that the number of words on each page does not have a direct relationship between reading and comprehension. The story teaches readers that no matter the sizes of you, your willingness to help just might benefit the vast world around you. It also shows that every creature deserves respect despite their sizes.
Reviews
From Booklist
Starred Review* The intricate lion's face that crowds the cover of Pinkney's latest folktale adaptation is unaccompanied by any title or credits, and that is entirely appropriate there are no words inside, either. Through illustration alone Pinkney relates the well-known Aesop fable of the mouse who is captured by a lion, only to be unexpectedly released. Then, when the lion finds himself trapped by hunters, it is the mouse who rescues him by gnawing through the twine. Pinkney bends his no-word rule a bit with a few noises that are worked into the art ("Screeeech" when an owl dives; "Putt-Putt-Putt" when the hunters' jeep arrives), but these transgressions will only encourage young listeners to get involved with read-along sessions. And involved they will be how could they not get drawn into watercolors of such detail and splendor? Pinkney's soft, multihued strokes make everything in the jungle seem alive, right down to the rocks, as he bleeds color to indicate movement, for instance, when the lion falls free from the net. His luxuriant use of close-ups humanizes his animal characters without idealizing them, and that's no mean feat. In a closing artist's note, Pinkney talks about his choice to forgo text. Preschool-Grade 1
Kraus, D. (July 2009). [Review on The ion & the mouse by Jerry Pinkney.] Booklist, 105(21).
From Kirkus
nearly wordless exploration of Aesop's fable of symbiotic mercy that is nothing short of masterful. A mouse, narrowly escaping an owl at dawn, skitters up what prove to be a male lion's tail and back. Lion releases Mouse in a moment of bemused gentility and when subsequently ensnared in a poacher's rope trap reaps the benefit thereof. Pinkney successfully blends anthropomorphism and realism, depicting Lion's massive paws and Mouse's pink inner ears along with expressions encompassing the quizzical, hapless and nearly smiling. He plays, too, with perspective, alternating foreground views of Mouse amid tall grasses with layered panoramas of the Serengeti plain and its multitudinous wildlife. Mouse, befitting her courage, is often depicted heroically large relative to Lion. Spreads in watercolor and pencil employ a palette of glowing amber, mouse-brown and blue-green. Artist-rendered display type ranges from a protracted "RRROAARRRRRRRRR" to nine petite squeaks from as many mouselings. If the five cubs in the back endpapers are a surprise, the mouse family of ten, perched on the ridge of father lion's back, is sheer delight. Unimpeachable. (author's note) 2009, Little, Brown, 40p, $16.99. Category: Picture book. Ages 3 to 6. Starred Review. © 2009 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review.(August 2009). [Review on The ion & the mouse by Jerry Pinkney.] Kirkus Review, 77(15).
Value to the Library
There is a huge fairy tale and folktale unit in the language arts curriculum in my school district. I will show the students who come through the library as a class during their fairy tale/folktale unit, especially the lower grades and have the students help me tell the story, The Lion & The Mouse, as their retell. It is also a great tool to use to review visualization for composing a story. It is a book that can be used multiple times for different lessons!
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