The Lion and the Mouse

Bibliography:

 Denton, Shannon E. The Lion and the Mouse. Minnesota: Magic Wagon, 2010. ISBN   9780060588292

Dubisch, Mike. 2010. The Lion and the Mouse. retold by Shannon Eric Denton. Minnesota: Magic Wagon. ISBN   9780060588292

Plot Summary:

An angry lion caught a silly mouse that was using the lion's leg as a slide. He released the mouse because he was amused by his begging. The mouse repayed the lion for his kindness by chewing him out of a hunter's net.

Critical Analysis:

The first thing you notice when you open the book are the illustrations. The illustrations are big, bold, and beautiful. They seem to be watercolor like illustrations. Mike Dubisch is a comic book cartoonist. You can see comic book like characteristics in these pictures. The use of shadowing makes the animals look life-like. The vibrant colors help to distinguish the integral setting from the backdrop setting. This helps the reader be aware of where they are and what is around them.

The test is a fun manuscript font that allows early readers to recognize letters and words. Each page contains a simple and single sentence to make this fable an easy read for young children. I believe the story maintained the integrity of the early re-tellings in a short and simple way. The message gets across to the reader just the same. There is a formal opening, "One day," and a formal ending, "The moral of the story is:." I do enjoy reading fables that state the moral clear as day rather than leaving it open to interpretation.

The moral is this specific fable is slightly different to The Lion and the Mouse retold by Graham Percy. The moral in Shannon Eric Denton's (2010) interpretation is, "Little friends may prove to be great friends" (p.32). In Graham Percy's 2010 interpretation, the moral is "A good deed should be returned" (p.5). Regardless, the didacticism in both fables will help children make better choices.

My favorite part is "Together, the lion and his new friend walked away" (p. 30). This lends to the moral suggesting be nice to those that are nice to you.

Review Excerpt:

From the Horn Book: "The choppy retellings reduce Aesop's fables to one sentence per page, presumably in order to make them accessible for beginning readers."

Connections:

Gather other Aesop fables to read such as:

• Daily, Don. The Classic Treasury of Aesop's Fables. ISBN 978-0762428762
• Weir, Harrison. Aesop's Fables 240 Short Stories for Children-Illustrated. ISBN 978-1450502955

Gather other easy read Aesop Fables to read such as:

• Reading Eggs. Aesop's Fables Box Set 1: The Lion and the Mouse and other Stories (US version). Kindle Unlimited. ASIN B07KC1MCX6

Use these stories to compare and contrast the components and the morals of each fable.
Use these stories to teach life lessons in your classroom or at home.