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.!
40 pages 978-0316013567 Ages 3-7
Keywords: Caldecott Medal winner 2010, fable, lion, mouse, kindness, helping others, 3 year old, 4 year old, 5 year old, 6 year old, 7 year old
Recommended by: Barb Langridge, abookandahug.com
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The Caldecott Award-winning and New York Times bestselling fable of compassion and kindness retold by acclaimed artist Jerry Pinkney.
In award-winning artist Jerry Pinkney's wordless adaptation of one of Aesop's most beloved fables, an unlikely pair learn that no act of kindness is ever wasted. After a ferocious lion spares a cowering mouse that he'd planned to eat, the mouse later comes to his rescue, freeing him from a poacher's trap. With vivid depictions of the landscape of the African Serengeti and expressively-drawn characters, Pinkney makes this a truly special retelling, and his stunning pictures speak volumes.---from the publisher
