Genre: fantasy fiction
Media:watercolor and pen ( )

The Lion and the Mouse is a short fable retold from Aesop's fables. It is about a lion, king of the jungle sparing the life of a mouse, tiny of the jungle. In return the mouse promises to help the lion if he is ever in trouble. Though the lion thinks that a mouse could never save him, he gets caught years later, and afterward the mouse frees him they become great friends.

I did not like this adaptation of Aesop's fables, but I did like the illustrations. The illustrations show the lion as adorable and playful. The moral of the story is still very clear, not to make fun of those weaker or smaller.

To help teach a sense of humility I would read this story and talk about why did the lion think he would never need help? I would also teach appreciation, that the mouse showed. It would be fun to make a lion of mouse which ever one they want to be more like. Instead of forcing them to be humble, give them a choice, plus at least the lion did come around.

Age appropriateness: Early and middle elementary
Review: This book is an example of a folktale Folk Tale: It is a story that conveys a deep meaning and teaches a lesson through the story. It has to do with a little mouse who a lion spares his life and eventually repays the lion even though he is small. This story is not just about the lion and the mouse, but it can be directly applied to the life of any person. The plot is simple of follow and the reader is able to identify the differences between the two animals. The setting is left to the reader’s imagination and there is a moral learned.
Media: Mixed: pen and paint ( )

Genre: folktale
Critique of Genre: This is a good example of folktale because we have the little mouse who gets itself caught by a lion and pleads to be let go. He tells the lion that he never knows when he might need his help someday. The lion thinks this is funny,but lets him go and winds up needing to be saved by the mouse after all.
Theme: The theme, to me, seems to be about being kind to others and showing them mercy because you never know if you are going to need their help in the future. "Don't burn your bridges," my mom used to tell me. ( )