A Thousand Words
As an artist and an illustrator, Jerry Pinkney is certainly no stranger to awards. By the early 2000s, he had earned the Randolph Caldecott Honor five times (second only to the legendary Maurice Sendak, who had seven Caldecott Honors) and the Coretta Scott King Award four times. In 2010, Pinkney was also the second African American to win the prestigious Caldecott Medal, which is awarded to an artist for the most distinguished picturebook of the year. Pinkney's gorgeous The Lion and the Mouse, with its meticulous details, authentic color palette, and wordless storytelling, is every bit deserving of this extraordinary distinction.
The book's two main characters are introduced to the reader on the jacket's design, where their physical differences are immediately apparent. With no room left even for a title, the lion's magnificent head fills and extends beyond the frame, striking in its sheer size. His deep, yellow eyes are pointed towards the book's spine so that our attention is directed to whatever it is he is so attentively watching. Opening the book so that the pages lie flat down, we see that he is looking at the mouse, and the mouse is looking back at him. Right off the bat, then, we know what creatures will be in this story and we realize that there will be some kind of interaction between this unlikeliest of pairs.
Just as the front of the book conveys meaning without a title, this exquisitely illustrated book simply has no need for words - and not just because most readers are already familiar with Aesop's well known tale of a predator whose act of mercy towards his prey ends up saving his own life. After all, except for certain animal sounds sprinkled throughout, Pinkney's expressive pictures effortlessly carry and powerfully communicate the entire tale. No text is necessary, for example, in order to appreciate the thrashing terror of the lion as he is ensnared in the poacher's trap and ropes hoist him among the trees. His mouth is open in an enraged and alarmed roar as birds flap away in sudden fright and monkeys protest his astonishing presence. In the same way, with four framed boxes set side by side in a sequence that's almost reminiscent of the action in a comic strip, Pinkney conveys in the mouse's concerned scurrying and quick thinking when he finds out what's happened. It's no easy feat to express such emotion and action without the guiding support of text, but Jerry Pinkney does it brilliantly.
Characteristic of Pinkney's personal style, the illustrations in The Lion and the Mouse were created with warm watercolors that evoke a soft, gentle mood. With a color palette that consists mainly of yellows, oranges, and browns, the reader can almost feel the hot exotic sun, hear the insects chirping in the long golden grass, and see the emotions of fear, compassion, and gratefulness in the animals' eyes.
To compensate for the size differences between the giant yet gentle lion and the tiny yet heroic mouse, Jerry Pinkney merges illustration techniques throughout the story. For example, when the lion is the main character in the scene, the illustrations bleed and thus give the reader the impression of being immersed in the safari right alongside of him. We are very aware of the intimidating size of this mammal. However, when the mouse is the feature of interest, the illustration is framed, as if we are zooming in until he is magnified on the page. This skillful method has a balancing effect on these two creatures and the equally courageous role that they each play in each other's story.
With a lavish setting in the African Serengeti and characters that seemingly move and breathe beyond the pages, the message and the beauty of these illustrations speak all for themselves. Sometimes pictures truly can say a thousand words; with his award-winning The Lion and the Mouse, Jerry Pinkney spins a stunning tale that voices bravery, kindness, and friendship.