Chloe and the Lion by Mac Barnett, Ill. by Adam Rex

Publishing: Hyperion Books, New York, 2012.

Description: Mac and Adam (via the figures at the bottom of the cover), begin telling a story about Chloe, but get into an argument over stylistic choices. It is their heroine, Chloe, that has to step in and save Adam from the cartoon lion and repair the friendship between author and illustrator.

Programming: I would use this book when explaining the parts of a picturebook to a young class. AKA-This is an author’s job, this is an illustrator’s job. Sometimes they are two different people, sometimes the same person does both jobs, etc.

The Lion & The Mouse by Jerry Pinkney

Publishing: Little, Brown, and Company, New York, 2009

Awards: Caldecott Medal Winner (2010)

Description: This wordless book retells Aesop’s fable of the Lion and the mouse, in which the lion sets his tiny prey go free and the mouse returns the favor by saving the lion from a poacher’s net. Despite the lack of words, this is a rich telling, with setting and background details conveyed in the illustrations.

Programming: It would probably be a good idea to read some of Aesop’s other fables for comparison and to discuss the lessons that each is supposed to teach. I have seen some very cute lion’s masks that can be made from paper plates and construction paper. Students might also write a time when someone helped them or when they helped someone.