The Lion & The Mouse

Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney

The Lion & The Mouse showcases the power of illustration through a wordless retelling of Aesop's beloved fable about a lion and a mouse. Pinkney's visual adaptation guides children through each aspect of the story, from the lion catching and releasing the mouse, to the lion's capture by poachers, and finally, to the mouse chewing through a net to save the lion. Pinkney uses oversized images to draw attention to the characters' facial expressions and actions. His unique style and the intricacy of his drawings caption emotion in a way that eliminates the need for text.

I remember Aesop's fable of the lion and the mouse as one of my favorites from childhood. The story teachs young children the importance of considering others and returning favors to those who have helped us. Jerry Pinkney's illustrations capture the essence of the original fable and convey the underlining message well.

Meet the Illustrator

 

Artist, Jerry Pinkney

Having received too many accolades to mention, Jerry Pinkney is one of the most well-known children's book illustrators of all time. He has been awarded the Caldecott Medal, the Coretta Scott King Award, the New York Times Best Illustrated Award, and nomination for the Hans Christian Andersen Award...just to name a few. His work in the arena of children's literature includes more than one hundred titles, including:

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
2011



Three Little Kittens
2010

Little Red Riding Hood
2007



The Wise Old Woman

Retold by Yoshiko Uchida

Illustrated by Martin Springett





The Wise Old Woman is Uchida's imaginative retelling of a Japanese folktale. In the tale, a cruel young lord declares that anyone over the age of seventy is no longer useful, and thus, must be taken into the mountains and left to die. When one young farmer's mother reaches the dreaded age, he reluctantly carries her into the mountains. However, once there, the young farmer cannot bear to leave his mother, so he brings her home and hides her in a secret room beneath the kitchen. Two years later, three warriors suddenly storm into the village, warning the cruel young lord that the mighty Lord Higa will come to conquer his village. When the lord begs to be spared, the warriors toss him a scroll listing three impossible tasks. If he can complete the three impossible tasks, the young lord and his village will be saved. When the village's wisest minds are not able to solve the three difficult tasks, the young lord posts a notice promising a bag of gold to anyone who can help. The farmer hurries home to tell his mother of the dilemma and she sets about completing the three tasks: making a coil rope out of ashes, running a single thread through the length of a crooked log, and making a drum sound without beating it. Upon presenting the completed tasks, the farmer is accused of not being wise enough to complete such tasks, and the young lord demands to know who is responsible. The farmer confesses to hiding his mother and explains that she is responsible for saving the village from Lord Higa. Surprisingly, the young lord revokes his original decree and proclaims that old people will now be treated with respect and will share the wisdom of their years.  

While the folktale of The Wise Old Woman serves to entertain young readers with its careful descriptions and bold illustrations, it also contains an important message about respecting the elderly. Often older members of our society are viewed as being incapable of simple tasks and as a burden to younger generations. However, through this clever book, Uchida reminds children that true wisdom comes from life experience and that a great deal may be learned from those older than themselves.

Yoshiko Uchida

Widely acclaimed for her work, Yoshiko Uchida has spent several decades writing children's books about the Japanese-American experience. In addition to The Wise Old Woman, Uchida has authored the following titles:

   

• The Dancing Kettle and Other Japanese Folk Tales (1949)
• A Jar of Dreams (1981)
• The Two Foolish Cats (1987)
• The Magic Purse (1993)

Awarding Translated Books

Occasionally, a book is written that is so outstanding, it must be shared with the rest of the world. Thankfully, some publishers welcome the daunting task of translating those books so that readers may enjoy what they otherwise could not. That hard work is deserving of recognition, and as a result, several awards have been established to recognize the importance of translated literature.

The Mildred L. Batchelder Award is presented annually to an American publisher for a book considered to be the most outstanding of those originally published in a foreign language in a foreign country, but subsequently published in English for children in the United States. Established by the Association for Library Service to Children, the Batchelder Award promotes international collaboration and encourages publishers to seek out exceptional children's books abroad. Recent recipients include A Time of Miracles, A Faraway Island, and Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit. 

In the United Kingdom, translated children's books are recognized biennially by the Marsh Award for Children's Literature in Translation. The award is presented to the translator of the best translation of a children's book into English from a foreign language, published by a British publishing company.

In 2002, the Swedish government established the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in honor of the Swedish children's author, Astrid Lindgren. The prize is awarded annually in an effort to increase interest in young people's literature, and it may be awarded to authors, illustrators, or narrators of children's books. The monetary prize given to each recipient makes the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award one of the richest literary prizes in the world.

The International Board of Books for Young People recognizes outstanding authors and illustrators biennially with the Hans Christian Andersen Award. The award is presented to those deemed to have made a lasting contribution to literature for young people. The prestigious award is considered by many in the literary field to be the Nobel Prize for children's literature.

Caldecott v. Newbery: Which is best?

The Randolph Caldecott Medal and the John Newbery Medal are perhaps the two most recognizable awards in children's literature. Both represent outstanding work in the field, and recipients of both awards are often sought out for inclusion in library collections. To receive either award would be a great accomplishment, but is one medal considered to be more prestigious than the other? 

The Newbery Medal is the world's oldest children's book award. Named for the eighteenth-century bookseller, John Newbery, the Newbery Medal is awarded annually by the American Library Association to the most distinguished American children's book published in the previous year.  



The Caldecott Medal is also presented annually by the American Library Association. Named for the nineteenth-century English illustrator, Randolph Caldecott, it is awarded annually to the most distinguished picture book for children published in the previous year.


Both the Caldecott Medal and the Newbery Medal symbolize outstanding work, and recipients of both command respect. However, comparing the two would be like trying to compare apples and oranges. Books nominated for the Caldecott Medal are typically not nominated for the Newbery Medal and vise versa. The Newbery Medal is awarded to authors, and the Caldecott Medal is awarded to illustrators. Since selection committees of the two evaluate entirely different types of work, it is impossible to say that one award is better than the other. Keep an eye out for both when selecting new books, because they are equally important when building a solid children's book collection.

My Friend Rabbit

by Eric Rohmann

2003 Caldecott Medal Winner

With page after page of vibrant images, Eric Rohmann illustrates a story about a young mouse who discovers firsthand what can happen when you let someone else play with your new toy. 


When Mouse gets a new airplane, Rabbit, who is always causing some type of trouble, gets it stuck in a tree right away. Rabbit, wanting to help, hatches a plan to have all the animals climb on top one another so that Mouse, who is on top, can reach the plane. All the animals come toppling down, but luckily the plan works and Mouse and Rabbit take off flying together in the airplane. The pair's success is short lived as the book ends with the two, yet again, stuck in a tree.


My Friend Rabbit presents readers with a great lesson about the ups and downs of friendship. Even though Rabbit causes trouble, Mouse knows his friend means well and loves him in spite of his flaws. Friends are not always perfect people, but they are always there to offer help when it is needed.


With large, simple illustrations that can easily be seen from afar, My Friend Rabbit is a perfect selection for group story time. The bright colors and bold lines of the book's hand-colored relief prints really make the images pop. Also, the manner in which space is used keeps readers focused on the characters and their actions. 


I love books that rely primarily on illustrations to tell a story, because they encourage youngsters to speak up about what they think is happening. True picture books get readers involved during story time and help them develop excitement toward reading. My Friend Rabbit seems to be a story that young children will really enjoy, and as a result, it is a story I highly recommend.

The House in the Night

by Susan Marie Swanson

Pictures by Beth Krommes

2009 Caldecott Medal Winner

The House in the Night is perfect for bedtime reading! The story is written as a poem, with a cumulative pattern that is both interesting and comforting. The story begins by focusing readers on one simple item, a key to house. The books features a logical progression, shifting from one object to another - from the key, to the house, to a light in the house, to a bed in the light, to a book on the bed, and so forth. Although, the poem is short and simple, it presents readers with an imaginative view of a child's bedtime story and what really makes a house a home.

The most captivating aspect of this book is, without a doubt, the beautiful pictures. Krommes uses a simple color pallet of black, white, and yellow to accent her intricate scratchboard drawings. The careful placement of lines creates detailed images that are fun for readers to explore.

The color combination of black, white, and yellow is a favorite of mine. It's fun for clothing, accessories, and interior decorating, so I am excited to have finally found the combination in a children's book. The House in the Night is another new favorite of mine, simply because its images are so eye-appealing. It is the perfect book to display atop a book shelf or in a library window to promote reading.

A Sick Day for Amos McGee

Written by Philip C. Stead

Illustrated by Erin E. Stead

2011 Caldecott Medal Winner

For Amos McGee, each day was pleasantly the same. He would wake early, dress for work, enjoy his breakfast, and catch the 6 a.m. bus to the city zoo. As zookeeper, he had lots of animal friends, and it was part of his routine to visit each of them everyday. He would play chess with the elephant, run races with the tortoise, sit quietly with the penguin, help the rhinoceros with his runny nose, and read stories to the owl. One day Amos' delightful routine was interrupted when he awoke with a horrible cold and had to stay home from work. The animals waited for their friend to arrive, but he never came. Surprisingly, the animals catch a bus to Amos' house! Amos was so excited to see his friends, and they carried out their usual activities as best they could with Amos being ill. He was well cared for and went to sleep that night feeling better, knowing he had so many great friends.

A Sick Day for Amos McGee is a wonderful story about friendship and reciprocating the love that others extend. Amos had been a great friend to the animals, so when he was feeling down, they wanted to be great friends in return. Children are often fond of animals and develop a closeness with pets that sometimes feels like true friendship. This book reminded me of the hours I spent as a child talking to my dog and reading books to my cat, as if they were people. How fun it would have been if my pets could have interacted with me in the same way the zoo animals interacted with Amos McGee!

Erin Stead's pencil and woodblock illustrations give life to the book and tell the story beautifully. Her combination of color and black and white images create a full picture, but call attention to the elements that are most important. In addition, the use of somewhat muted colors livens up the story's pages without distracting readers from the graceful detail of Stead's drawings. Anyone who has ever dabbled in art must truly appreciate the skill required to create Amos' soft hair or the subtle lines in the elephant's skin. A Sick Day for Amos McGee's unique illustrations are truly worthy of special recognition.