The Lion And The Mouse. Jerry Pinkney (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
Genre: Picture Book / Fiction Forget about the plot to this story for a second and let’s first talk about the amazing artwork that’s captured on every page. The illustrations themselves make this book a standout in the world of picture books. Each picture was drawn with such accuracy and precision and at the same time this artwork projects a fun and free emotion to the reader. This story is about a lion that gets trapped in a hunter's trap. He calls out for help and to his surprise; a mouse comes to his rescue. The lion is at first appalled that a mouse would have the nerve to help the lion get out of this trap when he couldn't even get out of it in the first place. The lion starts out as arrogant but as he notices the mouse’s hard work and its strength of its own, the lion becomes grateful and willing to make amends with the mouse for his courageous and selfless act. Young readers after seeing the connection between the lion and mouse will come to a realization that no act of kindness can ever be wasted and it will never go unnoticed. Pinkney, Jerry, and Aesop. The Lion & the Mouse: A Fable by Aesop. London: Walker, 2010. Print. In a marvelous and visually stimulating fashion, The Lion and the Mouse (Pinkney, 2009) displays a welcomed fable of a lion’s friendship with one lucky rodent. The lion chose to be kind one day, as he let the mouse live and showed him mercy. Then, the mouse returned the favor one day when the lion needed assistance. The illustrations within the book incorporate a lot of texture, especially with details such as the lion’s main, the stringy grass blades, and the mouse’s fur. The Viewer can see almost every hair of the animals on some pages. The illustrations guide the reader towards understanding the plot of the lion freeing the mouse, and then the favor being returned when the mouse helped to free the lion upon his entrapment. Along with texture, the colors display the setting perfectly, since it is evident that The Lion and the Mouse (Pinkney, 2009) takes place in a warm and broad savanna.A great activity that could be used alongside of this book within the classroom would be a reader's theater type of lesson. Students could partake as different characters while one student narrated by reading out loud. This would further the student's reading skills, as well as their participation levels, and public speaking at the same time. The genre of this book is a fable, and the reading level would be for younger students around the age of 2nd grade if I had to choose. The format of this book is very picture heavy, but that only adds to the joy of the plot. The theme is friendship and kindness. Pinkney, J. (2009). The lion & the mouse. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
What do You think about The Lion And The Mouse. Jerry Pinkney (2011)?
Very interesting story. Teachers could use this picture book to send a moral lesson to the students.
—murdoc_19_2000
I know they say you imagine the words but I still like them written out for me.
—Aman
There is more to this story than mercy and friendship....look deeper.
—laylamayla25
