The Lion and the Mouse

   The picture book The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney was the 2010 Caldecott Medal Award Winner.  The amazing thing about this book is that it is wordless, with the exception of a few sounds made from animals.  The plot is followed by looking at each page's artwork.  The expressions of the two main characters make it easy to follow the plot making this book a great read for even those that cannot read yet.  In this book, Pinkney shows his exceptional talent for book illustration.  The book is based on Aesop's Fable, The Lion and the Mouse.  Although Pinkney takes some artistic freedoms with the illustrations, the plot is still much the same as the Aesop classic.  In the book, the mouse, despite its size and lack of strength, finds out to be quite helpful in freeing the powerful king of the jungle.  Early on in the book, the mouse was found in the ever so precarious position of the lion's paw, but the lion generously let the mouse free.  Kindess between the two animals is exchanged and teaches all of us that no act of kindess is ever wasted.  The book's pictures are set in the African Seregeti and each picture does well at communicating the plot to the reader. 
     By reading/viewing this book, I learned that children's literature is often heavily dependent on quality pictures and of illustrator's talent.  It is easy to see that the style and personality of the artist sets the tone and mood of the book. I highly recommend this book, both for its interesting plot and beautiful artwork.