Caldecott #2 The Lion and the Mouse



The Lion and the Mouse (2009)
Written and Illustrated by Jerry Pickney
Caldecott Medal Winner 2010

 This was the first book I have read by Jerry Pickney...or looked at since their were hardly any words! I enjoyed how Pickney used illustrations that looked like sketches on some pages, and how he incorporated the use of water colors. I read on the last page that when illustrating the book he staged the book in the African Serengeti of Tanzania and Kenya. I believe that can be seen through the illustrations, or at least the reader can tell it is set in a jungle. The page of the book before the lion is captured by the rope trap, I liked the change of direction of the picture. The reader feels as if they are sitting high up in a tree watching the lion walk toward the trap. Not only does the story teach a priceless moral lesson to the reader, but also Pickney provides breath-taking illustrations to enhance one of Aesop's Fables. Teaching primary students, I am always looking for books that teach lessons and also allow them to interpret the illustrations. I can see myself using this book in a whole group or small group setting of students to teach many reading strategies. As I flipped through the pages, I began to realize how important books with no words can be in the classroom. As I said before, this is the first book by Pickney I have read. I am very interested in finding other titles for other parts of this blog. I am almost mesmerized when looking at the illustrations, and I understand why it was awarded a Caldecott Medal. This story reminds me of the farm where my parents live. When I was younger I would 'explore' through acres of woods and play in the creek. There were never any lions, of course; but I can remember beginning to appreciate the wonders of nature. Watching hawks soar through the air, listening to birds sing, and backing slowly away from a garden snake by the creek. As I read this book, it took me back to those days. Now, I want to put on my 'farm clothes' and hiking boots an explore the way I did as a child.