"The Lion and the Mouse" Book Review

1.      Bibliography

Pinkney, Jerry. 2009. THE LION AND THE MOUSE. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 9780316013567

2.      Plot Summary

In this nearly wordless picture book, Jerry Pinkney retells the traditional tale of “The Lion and the Mouse” with beautiful illustrations and only onomatopoeias.  Set in the African grasslands, the tale begins with a timid mouse escaping a screeching owl, only to find its way into the palm of a lion.  The lion frees the mouse who scurries home to mice babies.  The lion strolls along and is caught in a poachers net.  Helpless, the lion roars and gets the attention of the mouse he once set free.  The mouse sets out to find the roaring lion and returns the favor by biting the net and setting the lion free.  The lion and the mouse exchange grateful looks at each other and the mouse returns to the mice babies with a knot of the net for the mice to play with.  Both animals in this tale have equally large hearts for others.

3.      Critical Analysis

Jerry Pinkney retells this traditional tale with a genius twist of only using onomatopoeias for the text.  The detailed illustrations allow the reader to understand the storyline and actions of the tale.  The facial expressions Pinkney illustrates on the lion and the mouse show the communication taking place and no words are needed.  The lion appears to be irritated with the mouse and the mouse has its front paws over its head in a sign of submission and fear.  The mouse is crouched down with timid body language as it is looking at the lion letting the reader know it is scared and communicating with the lion.  My favorite scene is after the lion is set free, the illustration shows the lion and the mouse looking eye to eye.  The mouse is standing on its hind legs which is quite the opposite of crouching down in the beginning of the tale.  This scene leaves room for the imagination on what exactly the lion and the mouse are saying to each other.  Are they exchanging words of gratitude for each other?  Is there a mutual respect between beast and a small creature? 

I originally thought children would need background knowledge of the classic tale to understand the wordless one.  I read the book with my six year old son who has not yet been exposed to this story.  Even at a young age with no background knowledge, he was able to infer what was taking place on each page.

Pinkney’s pencil and watercolor illustrations are stunning.  The details and movement tell the storyline on their own and words are not needed.  

4.      Review Excerpt(s)

Caldecott Medal – 2010

Publishers Weekly – “Pinkney has no need for words; his are speaks eloquently for itself.”

5.      Connections

*Pull other selections of “The Lion and the Mouse” such as “The Lion and the Mouse” retold by Carol Jones and “The Lion and the Mouse” retold by Beverly Randell and compare.

*Students prepare a Readers Theater for the two characters, the lion and the mouse.  Students act out these lines.

*Discuss elements of traditional tales as a class and identify which elements are used in “The Lion and the Mouse”.