Lion and the Mouse

The 2009 Caldecott Winner is The Lion and the Mouse. The pictures tell the story in this vivid, compellingly illustrated version of Aesop's fable. Basically a wordless picture book, minus a few noise words like Putt Putt, Roar and Screech, the illustrations talk to us as we begin with the world of the lion and move to the low land of the mouse. Out in the jungle the large lion is about to be saved my the meek mouse. As the lion moves regally along jungle paths, an animal hunter's net snags him. He is trapped in ropes. Along comes our friend the mouse who proceeds to gnaw through the ropes to set the lion free. Jerry Pinkney says in his notes, "As an adult I've come to appreciate how both animals are equally large at heart: the courageous mouse, and the lion who must rise above his beastly nature to set his small prey free." He sees each animal "commanding powerful space and presence." Fabulous.!