Mouse & Lion

I have purchased this wonderful book many times. Why is a new one unavailable?

This ancient tale is told by Rand Burkert with gentle perfection. The illustration is amongst Nancy Ekholm Burkert's finest. As ever, every detail is researched and depicted with skill and tenderness. I believe this illustrator's style is unmatched. Mouse and Lion is so beautiful and touching--I would think that every parent would long to share it with a child. And I will add that it is produced beautifully--take a look at the embossed cover! This book is a model of what books for children should be-it is a real classic.

An extraordinary retelling of the fable. Lovely illustrations. I bought this for my granddaughter, but I appreciated it as an adult for its beauty and the reversal of who is the primary actor.PCS

I am looking for a smaller and simpler version of some of Aesop's fables for children 2-5.The art work in The Mouse and Lion is beautiful- but it seemed to overpower the message of the tale.Next time I'll pay more attention to reviews and descriptions of books.

This is a beautifully illustrated book. For that I would give it five stars. Written in the style of a classic fable, the story is good but not great. It moves well and gives wonderful example of how to overcome pride.

Great Book

I'll start by confessing that Nancy Burkert is one of my all-time favorite picture-book artists. Her Snow White should have won the Caldecott Medal, not just the honors, back in 1970. In this, her first book since Orson and Valentine, her artistry has, if anything, gotten more gorgeous. Collaborating with her son Rand, who wrote the text from a story by Aesop (and composed a cd full of songs to accompany the story) was clearly a work of love for both mother and son. The story is solidly told, the pictures float dreamily on the page - but, Burkert's intense focus brings every object, small or large, into the sharpest focus. Her meticulous research reminds me of Beatrix Potter and Dorothy Lathrop: all three have produced the most exquisitely careful animal studies. But it's not just Burkert's scholarship that shines through this book, it is her heartfelt love for the natural world and all the creatures in it. A truly lovely book, and one I'd read to a child side by side with Jerry Pinkney's version just to see how many ways a great story can be told.

In this version of Aesop's tale, Mouse rather than Lion takes center stage. Mouse's bravery and ingenuity not only save the day; they leave Lion with a new appreciation of small things. It's fun to see Mouse's personality take shape as he talks his way out of being eaten.The accompanying illustrations are beautiful. Nancy's drawings are so intricate and detailed that one almost feels as if they are seeing Mouse and Lion in real life.While Jerry Pikney's version, The Lion & the Mouse, is bold and brilliant in color, the Burkert's version is more muted and has an understated tone. Both books are beautiful and both hold their own, making either, or both, a great addition to your collection.