The Lion and the Mouse by Pinkney, J.

“The Lion and the Mouse” by Jerry Pinkney

“The Lion and the Mouse” is a children’s picture book and it was published in 2009. The author and illustrator was Jerry Pinkney. The book won the 2010 Caldecott Medal for illustration. The story is retold through Aesop’s fable, however there are no words or texts in the book. There are only pictures, which leave readers to interpret freely.

The book falls in the category of folklore, and to be more specific, it is fable. It ends with an unstated moral and that allows everyone construct in its own interpretation. Some may interpret differently. For instance, I see two types of morals: be kind to everyone and do not judge by appearance. I enjoyed reading this book because I could relate to the storyline. This experience is common for most people. I remember being taught not to judge by appearance at a young age. As for illustration, the color is quite beautifully shown and used throughout the pages. This could engage emergent readers in reading. They also can practice their predicting skill. 

After reading the story, it reminds me of how selective or judgmental people can be upon a first look or meeting. This fable teaches us not to be too judgmental or ignorant in the first place. As I mentioned earlier that the moral could be “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” I could introduce this theme to young children and have them identify and analyze stereotypes in behavior, as who and what are the meanings of to be strong or weak. In Self-Love and Knowledge part, when students’ knowledge develops, they identify, deconstruct, and not internalize harmful stereotypes. Then students can create friendly environment where they learn to listen, treat each other with kindness and empathy. With this approach, they can learn not to judge by appearance or to be kind.