The Lion and The Mouse

The Lion and The Mouse

By Jerry Pinkey

Little Brown Books, 2009

I love the wordless picture book “The Lion and The Mouse”. It tells the everlasting tale of helping a friend in need. The story begins when a small mouse is caught by a lion. Readers may fear that the mouse is about to be eaten, but for some reason, the lion lets him go. Because there are no words, this allows readers to imagine why the lion let the mouse go. Was there a specific reason? This allows for exploration among students. The pictures continue to tell the story, and we find our line trapped in a net. The mouse hears his roars (each page contains some sound words) and the mouse runs to his friends rescue. With his little teeth, the mouse is able to cut the lion free.

This is a wonderful tale of friendship and helping others. I think in the classroom it is a wonderful resource to use for discussing these topics as well as exploring dialogue and what the page would say if you were the author. Students can create their own stories by adding words, coming up with a prologue or ending chapter to “complete” their versions of “The Lion and The Mouse”. This can also be a great story to read when discussing animals in a science unit.