Mouse & Lion

by Rand Burkert, Nancy Ekholm Burkert (Illustrator)

Overview

From the illustrator of the classic edition of Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs

On a ridge above the Kalihari,
Lion naps, until Mouse bumbles into him,
willy-nilly, startling him awake.
After a show of teeth, Lion is softened by Mouse's pledge of loyalty and sets him free.

When a cold moon brings a humbling lesson,
Lion comes to recognize
Mouse's keen skill, and deeper kindness.

Mouse and Lion, Aesop's fabled duo,
renew their ancient bond in this warm retelling by Rand Burkert,
illuminated by the authentic natural detail of Nancy Ekholm Burkert's art.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545101479
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	10/01/2011
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.90(w) x 10.80(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD570L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

MOUSE & LION is Rand Burkert's first book.

Nancy Ekholm Burkert's first illustrations were for the original edition of JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH (1961). Her picture books include THE NIGHTINGALE (1965); THE SCROOBIOUS PIP (1968); THE FIR TREE (1970); SNOW-WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1972), a Caldecott Honor Book; and VALENTINE & ORSON (1989).

Editorial Reviews

In jaunty prose, first-time author Rand Burkert—the illustrator’s son—retells Aesop’s fable of the mouse who stumbles over a lion (“Sire, I took you for a mountain—honestly!”) and pleads for his freedom (“You might need me someday, in a pinch”); the mouse fulfills the prediction by gnawing him free from a hunter’s net. “You shall also be free, Mouse!” says the lion. “I grant you liberty to climb every mountain in my kingdom.” Caldecott Honoree Nancy Ekholm Burkert’s (Snow-White and the Seven Dwarves) exquisitely drafted spreads celebrate the beauty of the African savannah, often from a mouse’s-eye view: a graceful blade of grass, a moth’s wing, the thorns of the scrubby African shrubs. Moments of drama are sometimes represented in a series of spot illustrations, the present instant in full color, those past or yet to come in pale blue, a lovely way of expressing time on an unmoving page. Creamy paper, a spare layout, and fine typography combine to create an object that reminds readers of the physical pleasures of books; it’s a gratifying addition to Nancy Ekholm Burkert’s small but treasured oeuvre. All ages. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

In a time when anti-bullying campaigns have become popular in schools, it seems only fitting that the mouse gets top billing in the title of this familiar fable. After awakening him by mistake, the mouse has to prove to the lion that he should live. A year later, the mouse becomes the hero of the story as he repays the lion by freeing him from the hunters' net. The illustrations have been created with careful attention to the accuracy of the setting, a landscape where the animals described really could exist. The illustrator has chosen an area bordering Botswana and Namibia, where the lion and the mouse live among baobab trees, tall grasses, and rocky ridges. Since this retelling appears on the children's book scene less than three years after Jerry Pinkney's Caldecott award-winning The Lion & the Mouse, it seems that another fable may have been a better choice. However it is done well, and a bit differently; Pinkney's story is told with very few words. This could lead to some interesting lessons in comparing and contrasting the retellings of Aesop's fables. Reviewer: Susan Thomas

Children's Literature - Susan Thomas

Gr 2–6—It has been far too long since Nancy Ekholm Burkert's work last graced a children's book—Valentine and Orson (Farrar, 1989)—and it is a pleasure to welcome her back with a book rich with her signature meticulous brush lines, compelling display of color, and carefully delineated detail. Each page offers dramatic delight that extends the story. In an unusual but fascinating variation on the Aesop tale, Rand Burkert places Mouse at center stage—after all, as he explains, "Mouse clearly performs the lion's share of the work." With that hypothesis in place, the tale plays out against the well-known plot of Lion trapped in net/Mouse gnawing him free—with the interplay between the two caught in word and image, both subtle and powerful. At the conclusion, the animals part—each to its own special world but each the wiser and kinder for the experience. The illustrations for this spirited tale are nothing less than spectacular: soft colors (predominately in multiple shades of blue) flow across the page, capturing each eventful moment. Choosing the Aha Hills (between Botswana and Namibia) for her setting, the artist imbues the scenes with the fauna and flora of this region. At times, she incorporates the whole page, using white space to great effect as Mouse cavorts among trailing vines; in another mesmerizing spread a blue/black baobab tree, set against a blazing cinnamon-orange setting sun, captures the moment before Lion's undoing. For storyhours, one-on-one sharing, family read-alouds, or African studies, this book will be appreciated by a wide audiences.—Barbara Elleman, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA

School Library Journal

A wee African grass mouse "receives top billing" (according to a concluding note) in this visually stunning retelling of Aesop's fable set amid the Aha Hills of Africa.

One day Mouse rushes over a "tawny boulder that lay in his path," which, unfortunately, turns out to be King Lion, who traps Mouse and threatens to eat him. Dangling above Lion's jaws, Mouse begs for release and asserts his bravery. Intrigued, Lion asks Mouse to demonstrate his mettle, and Mouse fiercely tilts with a blade of grass. The amused Lion releases Mouse, who prophesies, "You might need me someday, in a pinch." A year later, Lion becomes hopelessly snared in a hunter's trap, and Mouse rescues him by nibbling the ropes. While the elegantly simple text conveys King Lion's transformation from negligent predator to appreciative victim, the exquisitely rendered brush, ink and pencil illustrations steal the show. Masterful use of white space, dramatic close-ups, arresting perspectives and meticulous respect for natural details memorialize the interaction between Lion and Mouse. Realistic images of Mouse pinned by Lion's claw, suspended above Lion's gaping mouth, acrobatically scaling a blade of grass, helpfully gnawing Lion's ropes and looking Lion in the eye emphasize the humanity of the natural world.

A favorite ancient fable beautifully presented in the tradition of the finest picture books, this does not replace Jerry Pinkney's transcendent, Caldecott-winningThe Lion & the Mouse but proudly takes its place beside it.(Picture book. 3 & up)

Kirkus Reviews

…beautifully reimagined in soothing earth-tone watercolors for the younger reader.
—The New York Times Book Review

Maria Tatar