There are no words, but artist Jerry Pinkney’s version of the Aesop’s fable “The Lion and the Mouse,” has more depth and layers than any previous version with words.
Set in the African Serengeti, the story is put in motion by an owl swooping down on a mouse perched on a rock under a full moon. The mouse scurries into a hole in a rotting log, then unwittingly onto a lion’s back.
It looks bad for the mouse, as the huge creature picks her up with a “Grrr” and dangles her by the tail. Over the next two pages, we see the lion contemplating the mouse, then opening his paws and letting her free.
The mouse runs home to a nest full of babies, and the lion struts off, too. In the distance are elephants, giraffes, a female lion and two cubs … and a jeep, portentous, it turns out.
On subsequent pages, we watch as the animals scatter ahead of the jeep, the men get out and set a rope trap, and the proud lion walks right into it.
His booming roar brings the mouse running. She works furiously to gnaw through the rope and set the lion free.
Most versions of this fable are told in a few paragraphs, illustrated with a picture or two. The reader is usually told that the mouse pleads for its life, with a promise to help the lion someday. Then at the end the mouse essentially says, “I told you you’d be glad you spared me.”
In Pinkney’s version, readers are allowed to watch the action unfold over many pages, to study the expressive faces of the animals and come up with their own answers to the questions: Why did the lion free the mouse? Why did the mouse rush back to help him? What is the morale of the story?
Pinkney, who has won many awards and honors for illustration, including five Caldecott Honors, has provided stunning colored pencil and watercolor artwork here.
Many African animals are depicted and the main characters are given appealing families. The book is printed on a buttery yellow paper that has subtle sparkles imbedded in it, adding to the warmth of the illustrations.
The cover is marvelous — and also wordless. The title appears only on the spine. The lion gets the front and the mouse, the back. They’re both big — and looking at each other cheekily.
The book, geared for ages 4 to 8, lists at $16.99.
Scripps Howard News Service
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