Children's Book Express 

Daniel Kraus (Booklist, Jul. 1, 2009 (Vol. 105, No. 21)) 
Starred Review* The intricate lion s face that crowds the cover of Pinkney s latest folktale adaptation is unaccompanied by any title or credits, and that is entirely appropriate there are no words inside, either. Through illustration alone Pinkney relates the well-known Aesop fable of the mouse who is captured by a lion, only to be unexpectedly released. Then, when the lion finds himself trapped by hunters, it is the mouse who rescues him by gnawing through the twine. Pinkney bends his no-word rule a bit with a few noises that are worked into the art ( Screeeech when an owl dives; Putt-Putt-Putt when the hunters jeep arrives), but these transgressions will only encourage young listeners to get involved with read-along sessions. And involved they will be how could they not get drawn into watercolors of such detail and splendor? Pinkney s soft, multihued strokes make everything in the jungle seem alive, right down to the rocks, as he bleeds color to indicate movement, for instance, when the lion falls free from the net. His luxuriant use of close-ups humanizes his animal characters without idealizing them, and that s no mean feat. In a closing artist s note, Pinkney talks about his choice to forgo text. Preschool-Grade 1 
(PUBLISHER: Little Brown and Co. Books for Young Readers (New York:), PUBLISHED: 2009.)