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Storytime blog: Book with no words

This beautiful tale is told only in illustrations.

By Kristen SchottPublished: February, 2010

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Photos courtesy of Little, Brown & Co.

I want to start this blog by saying I love, love, love children's books. From the creative stories to the illustrations – they always impress me.

With that said, I think some achieve an actual moral, lesson – or even tell the tale better than others. And sometimes, it's not the words that tell that tale, either. In fact, some of the best stories are ones that lack text! Which is why I want to highlight Jerry Pinkney's "The Lion & the Mouse" for you. Little Brown & Co. certainly made a good move with this one – it's been on the New York Times Best-Seller List for 14 weeks.

Well, that ought to stop you in your tracks and make you run over to your nearest Borders Books (love) and pick it up right now.

But, if that doesn't: Then let me give you a little summary. This is a clever word-free adaptation of one of "Aesop's Fables," which follows a lion that decides not to eat the mischievous little mouse that crosses his path. And when the lion is captured and needs help, the mouse returns the favor, illustrating that kindness is often reciprocated in the most unlikely places.

And all THAT is told with only a few words here and there – a "ROOOARRR" or a "scratch, scratch, scratch."

It's so powerful, and I praise Pinkney for his ability to depict so much with just his illustrations – which are eye-catching and filled with detail.

Here's a glimpse at a few of the images, which bring the story to life: