The Lion and the Mouse

Title: The Lion and the Mouse

Author & Illustrator: Jerry Pinkney

Genre: Traditional Literature

Awards: Caldecott Medal

Age Group: Pre-K–5th grade

Wow! What an amazing (wordless) book. It is crazy to me how much this book not having words adds so much to the meaning. This book was based on The Lion and the Mouse from Aesop's fables. The plot begins with a little mouse that stumbles upon a big lion. The lion lets the mouse go and he scurries home. The lion then finds himself caught in a trap, and the little mouse comes back to chew off the ropes, freeing the lion. The last illustration shows the little mouse's family chewing on one of the knots of rope from the trap.
I cannot wait to use this book in my classroom. It is so powerful! At first it may seem like not having words would be "boring" and would lose the attention of the students, but on the contrary! I find this to be even more engaging because each and every detail holds so much meaning throughout this book. It's no wonder that Jerry Pinkney won a Caldecott medal for this book.
Honestly, I would use this book no matter what grade level I end up teaching in elementary. It is not too "babyish" to use for fifth graders, in my opinion, but it is still understandable for small children. The illustrations are outstanding and so life-like! They are sure to capture the attention of any audience.
I think this book definitely merits some character studies! Lions are known for being strong, powerful, and mighty, whereas mice are typically seen as small, naive, and weak. This story takes another look at these characteristics and shows that even the lion can be helpless and the mouse can be bold and courageous. For Christian private schools, this would be such a good book to use to compare the lion and mouse to Jesus when He took on our human flesh. Many expected Him to be an earthly king, strong and powerful (which He is), but that's not what He came to earth to do. Instead, He took the form of a lowly and humble servant to save us from our sins. While He was expected to be the lion, perhaps He may be the mouse in this story? And I wonder if we tend to be the lion, prideful and strong in our own eyes but ultimately helpless without the saving grace of Christ. I think that would be a very interesting conversation to have with the students! Either way, comparing and contrasting the lion and the mouse is an excellent activity for this book. Also, I saw a neat idea about a kindness ripple effect science experiment that would go marvelously with this book! Basically, you get a tub of water and some different objects (like a button, rock, ball, etc.) and put them in the water, noticing the ripple each one makes. Whether our acts of kindness are big or small, they all make a difference. This idea is totally reflected in The Lion and the Mouse!