The Lion & The Mouse Jerry Pinkney

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A mouse inadvertently disturbs a lion, who lets the mouse go - but later the lion himself is freed by the mouse from a poacher's trap 'The Lion and the Mouse' is Jerry Pinkney's wordless treatment of Aesop's fable.

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School Library Journal Review

K-Gr 5-This wordless iconographic rendering of Jerry Pinkney's Caldecott winner (Little, Brown, 2009) is filled with action, suspense, and song. Filmed in South Africa, the film features the animal sounds of the Serengeti and riveting Zulu music. The popular fable of a lion's merciful decision to release a defenseless mother mouse, only to later be saved by her, offers several messages for youngsters. Pinkney's lush, expressive watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations are even more effective in this medium; static images scan across the screen as the camera zooms in and out, lingering on dramatic close-ups which enable viewers to notice details such as the unknowing mouse standing in the lion's paw prints and the beast's shock and terror at being trapped. An interview with Pinkney in his studio includes childhood photos, an account of his early life and career, as well as an explanation of the evolution and creation of this wordless picture book. There is also an interview with composer/musician Sazi Dlamini in the South African sound studio where he translates the song, expounding on idiomatic expressions and African instruments such as the kalimba. The illustrator's intention, that "the art suggest the text," is not only realized, but viewers are naturally moved to narrate the action as they watch. As a follow-up activity, students can write or role-play the conversation between the two protagonists. Use with units on fables, Africa, or endangered animals.-Barbara Auerbach, PS 217, Brooklyn, NY (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.