The Lion and The Mouse

The Lion and The Mouse | Traditional Lit. | Bernadette Watts | Caldecott Medal | ages 3-6 |

The Lion and The Mouse is a famous fable with the moral of not judging others by their differences. The Lion from the story is a great mighty lion, king of the jungle, who’s greater than all animals. As a cub, he encounters a mouse and spares her life. The mouse in gratitude promises to help the lion whenever he may need her. The lion scoffs at such idea and declines this offer. One day the lion is trapped and needs help from others, and when no one was able to help him get out, came the mouse who rapidly freed the lion from the trap. Seeing that the mouse was the only one able to save him, the lion apologizes and claims he shall never judge anyone by their size.

This book is retold by Bernadette Watts because it is a traditional literature story. It has won the Caldecott Medal for having great illustration. This is a classic story with an important theme of kindness no matter big or small and not being quick to judge others. I would gladly use this book in a classroom of kids ages three to eight because it isn’t hard to understand, and they should be able to at least sit through the book and be interested in it. I think it’s also helpful to show them we are all capable of helping one another, and achieving things others can’t because we are uniquely made. I find the appropriate grade level to be pre-k to second grade, as I explained because they are able to understand the story and the conflict. Some ways this book can be incorporated into the classroom is when learning about manners, empathy, kindness, and proper behavior with one another. A fun activity with the class can be assigning a classmate to each student, and have them perform an act of kindness to that friend and share with the class.