The Lion & The Mouse

Pinkney, J.  (2009).  The lion & the mouse.  New York, NY:  Hachette Book Group, Inc.


Growing up the child of an Elementary Education/English major, I was the guinea pig for children's picture books and of course, Caldecott award winners.  So, for this reflection, I went searching for a Caldecott Medal winner to review.  I found the 2010 winner, The Lion & The Mouse.  I was immediately drawn to the front cover of the book. 

Front Cover

Rear Cover

There are no words on the cover, nor in the book, and it had an incredibly detailed, large lion that filled the entire cover.  His eyes are looking to the right, or the back of the book, where there is the mouse, perched with large eyes staring back at the lion.  The eyes on each animal are filled with expression.  No words need to be spoken or read.  Their eyes tell you about their relationship and each face is full of detail that cannot be told in words.

The back-drop of the story is the African Serengeti.  There are watercolor drawings of all types of animals, including giraffes, zebras, elephants, and others,  The grasslands and the trees are drawn in a way that make them the background, but very much a part of the scenery.  The two main characters are easily recognized by students and could be appropriate for children first grade and below.  The plot is progressive as it introduces conflict between animal and animal, such as the owl and the mouse, then later between the mouse and the lion.  It further exemplifies person against society as the lion is pursued by humans.  Although this is a classic telling of Aesop's fable, the fact that it is wordless gives the reader the control of the story.  It allows the reader's imagination to drive the story.  After the initial conflict between the mouse and the lion, the reader is unsure of what further conflict can occur.  But, soon enough the reader is aware of a bigger problem for the lion. 

The detail and expression drawn on the mouse and the lion tell the tale eloquently.  Although no words are exchanged, the knitted brows and illustrated roars and squeaks speak volumes.  There is lots of action on each page and would keep the student engaged and turning pages.

As a fable, this story lends itself to the lessons learned and the big questions of WHAT if.  What if the lion had eaten the mouse?  What if the mouse had not cared enough about the lion to help him?  How is is that something so small can help something so big?  It can be useful on the idea of friendship between unlikely people, helping others, not being judgemental and countless other moral issues.  It is a timeless story, beautifully illustrated and I would highly recommend this read!

A Ball for Daisy

Raschka, C. (2011).  A ball for Daisy.  New York:  Schwartz & Wade Books.

A Ball for Daisy is a wordless children's picture book about a dog and her ball.  In the progressive plot, we see Daisy's routine and her love for her ball.  However, conflict arises in the form of dog against dog.

Reading a book without words takes some getting used to.  It is an appropriate book for younger children.  Preschool and kindergarten students could 'read' this book without assistance.  However, it would be a good book to be read to a class, discussing what's happening with Daisy in each scene. 

Having won the 2012 Caldecott Medal, I chose this book with expectations of incredible illustrations.  At first glance, I was somewhat disappointed.  The colors are somewhat muted, with lots of grays, black and yellows, with the occasional burst of red in the form of Daisy's ball.  The sketches are very free form and hazy looking.  However, after reading through the book again, I began to notice that Daisy's emotions are very visible in the sketches.  Without words, the pictures must tell the story.  That is the case for Daisy.  You can sense her excitement, disappointment and curiosity much like a child would with their own pet.  Her facial expressions tell you the story.  I can remember our puppy acting the same way over a new toy or a lost one. It's easy for students to relate to this if they've ever had a pet or watched an animal with their favorite toy.

This book would be an excellent way to discuss feelings with young children.  Students could see Daisy's happiness, her sadness, and how she deals with disappointments.  The book also deals with sharing and encountering new friends.  Students could deal with questions such as HOW does Daisy feel after meeting the new dog?  WHY is she so sad?  WHAT happens to make her sad?  WHAT happens to make her happy? 

I would recommend this book to young children, especially those interested in dogs.  It would be useful in a unit on feelings and dealing with disappointment and meeting new friends.  It's an easy book to read to a class and can allow students to make predictions about what will happen to Daisy and her ball.  Overall, it's a good book with excellent facial expression drawings and a lesson to be learned. 

Hello to everyone in REOL536!

Colonial Williamsburg being "shamed"

Hello everyone!  I am Christa Osborne and I am currently enrolled in the MAT program at UC, with concentration in Middle Grades Science.  I graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1995 with my Bachelor's in Biological Sciences.  Since then, I have been in the corporate world of security, a freelance Visual Management designer, a small business owner, and a banker.  I am currently the Operations Admin for a local financial institution.  I oversee the disaster recovery program there.  If there's a disaster to prepare for, I'm your girl!
However, my most important job is being a mom.  Eleven years ago I was blessed to become the mother of a most precocious little girl.  She keeps me humble and makes me laugh.  She is a sixth grader now and reminds me of the craziness that comes with middle school and the start of the teenage years!  She's a barrel racer and a straight A student and I could not be more proud.

After life changes including divorce and a complete career loss, I began my graduate program in the fall of 2010 as a way to investigate if teaching was an option for me. I have enjoyed my classes at UC and I am a few classes away from graduation now.  At this point, I'm still unsure of how I'll use my education, but I'm enjoying the opportunity to be here.  And now...I have some more reading to do!