The Lion & The Mouse by Jerry Pinkney

The Lion & The Mouse is the 2010 Caldecott Award winner, by Jerry Pinkney. I could tell just from the book's jacket that this book was outstanding in its illustrations. I did not realize, however, that the story is told purely through pictures. There are just a few onomatopoeic words - RRROOARRR, squeak squeak, putt putt, who who, scratch scratch, screech - scattered throughout the book's pages that are very effective and enhance the story. Pinkney does comment on the last page of the book that The Lion & The Mouse fable of Aesop's, which is what this book is based on, is sparse in text anyway, so he felt like telling the story through illustrations would be unique. The book is intended for a preschool audience, and I tested this with my five-year-old daughter; she thoroughly enjoyed the tale.

I don't remember the last time I read a book that did not have sentences or dialogue. I enjoyed this change of pace and I thought the pictures were striking. The African setting provided a new perspective for me, since I never really envisioned this story with all the other African animals. I just remember reading that fable as a child and only seeing a lion and a mouse; but in reality, lions live in Africa so it makes sense!

Jerry Pinkey is one of the most noted children's book illustrators, with more than 100 titles to his name. Some of the other titles that he illustrated include: The Patchwork Quilt; The Little Red Hen; God Bless the Child; Ain't Nobody a Stranger to Me; Rikki-Tikki-Tavi; Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman; John Henry; The Adventures of Spider; Goin' Someplace Special; Little Red Riding Hood; Noah's Ark; The Moon Over Star; The Ugly Duckling; Sweethearts of Rhythm; and The Old African. He has received five Caldecott Honor Medals, five Coretta Scott King Awards, and four Coretta Scott King Honor Awards. He has been illustrating children's books since 1964.