This isn't exactly a wordless picture book. Jerry Pinkney lived next to a nature reserve as he worked on it and was struck by how loud animals actually are. So he added sound effects to his otherwise picture-only story. The mice squeak, the lion roars, the owl screeches. This certainly makes the book a little livelier.
You know the story. A lion's decision to spare a mouse's life becomes the most important choice he ever makes. The watercolor and colored pencil illlustrations make fluid lines and shapes that give a subtly elegant feel to the classic fable. And the fact that the story is wordless puts a realistic spin on it. If this situation really occured in nature there would, of course, be no actual dialogue. Pinkney's unusual take on the fable is what secured him the 2010 Caldecott medal.
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Review by Lauren Shearer
Lauren Shearer writes words for fun and profit. She also makes films, but everyone knows you can't make a profit doing that. Her other hobby is consistently volunteering way too much of her time. You can read more of her reviews here.
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Review by Lauren Shearer
Lauren Shearer writes words for fun and profit. She also makes films, but everyone knows you can't make a profit doing that. Her other hobby is consistently volunteering way too much of her time. You can read more of her reviews
here.
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