The Lion and the Mouse
Illustrator: Jerry Pinkney
Recommended for Ages: 1 and up
About: Friendship
This is a wonderful book to talk about friendship and what it means to be a friend. It is the classic Aesop fable in an updated format. The story is about a small mouse that finds himself in the clutches of a great lion. The lion lets the mouse go, sparing his life. When the lion finds himself trapped in a net, the mouse saves the great lion by chewing and chewing through the ropes to free him.
The story is told through the art of the illustrator. The pictures are expressive and full of beauty. It is up to the reader to provide the words of the story since the only words indicated are the sounds of animals and the “putt putt” of the vehicle driven by the trappers. This provides a great opportunity to build language and concepts about friendship. The adult or the children can describe what is happening in the pictures. The kindness of the animals can help open discussions of what it is to be a friend as well as show that a friend does not need to look like you.
Reviewer: Linda Flach, MS
Early Childhood Consultant
Early Childhood Consultation Partnership