The Lion and the Mouse
Written and illustrated by: Jerry Pinkney
Published by: Little Brown Books, 2009
40 pages
Traditional Literature
The mouse is a tiny little fellow, who is about to become the lion’s snack. But, he has a proposal: if the lion will spare his life he will help him when he needs him. The lion is the king of the jungle. He doesn’t think he needs anyone’s help, but he decides to listen to the mouse’s plea. When hunters capture the lion, we find out if the mouse keeps his promise.
Pinkney is a author-illustrator of children’s books. In this book, he adds exquisite detail from front cover to back cover. He was awarded the Caldecott medal, honoring this picture book as the most distinguished.
This is a wonderful book to use when teaching story elements, such as theme. Readers can identify the message portrayed in The Lion and the Mouse and relate it to their own life. They could complete a variety of activities, such as making their own anchor charts and writing about what the theme means to them. One activity I really like is called “Hashtag the theme”. They could post on the class Facebook or Twitter page, summarizing the story and “hashtagging” the theme. I would use this in a 3rd or 4th grade class.
Gifted learners could create their own story using the same theme. It could be a real event they experienced, or they could make up a story.
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