Book # 12
Book Image:
The
Lion & the Mouse
By
Jerry Pinkney. Illus. by author.
2009.
40p. Little Brown Books, $16.99. (9780316013567)
PreS-K
Juvenile Fiction
Awards:
2010 Caldecott Award
Topics/Issues:
Folklore, Cooperation, Mice, Lions, Fables
ELS promoted:
Print motivation, narrative skills, print awareness,
Format:
Hardcover
Author/Illustrator sites:
http://jerrypinkneystudio.com/
Categorization Tags:
E Pinkney
Annotation:
In this wordless rendition of an Aesop’s fable, a mouse proves that a small creature can be capable of great deeds as she rescues the Lion.
Reactions/Observations:
The book retells a classic tale about a mouse that saves
the King of the Jungle: Lion. She proves that anyone is capable (even someone
as small as the mouse) of accomplishing great deeds. The illustrations are warm and expressive.
The only use of text is used to depict the sounds effects of the actions or for
the animals. The story is told through the facial expressions and actions on
each page. The compositions of the characters direct the reader’s eyes,
allowing for a narrative to be formed even without words.
I read The Lion and The Mouse in response to a fellow
classmate’s discussion post. It was shelved among the picture books by
last name of the author. I agree that this book is great for the 0-4
audience. Because the story is wordless, it allows for those who cannot
read yet to retell the fable through the pictures. I’m not sure if this would
be a good book for story time, but as a one on one book, it’s perfect.
The illustrations are beautiful. Parents can use the books lack of words
as an opportunity to talk to their children about it. I especially liked
how what little text was used to create motion and give personality to the
interaction between the characters. The words are part of the illustration
rather than being used to narrate the happenings on each page. It’s easy
to see why this book won the 2010 Caldecott award.
No comments:
Post a Comment