'One day I shall repay you for your kindness.' With these words a rat makes a solemn promise to a lion who has allowed the tiny creature to escape from between his fearsome paws. But what can a little rat do to help a mighty lion, the King of the Jungle? The simple messages of this La Fontaine fable - that acts of kindness will always be returned and that even the strongest and mightiest sometimes need the help of the smallest and weakest - are gloriously told in this lovely picture book from Brian Wildsmith, an internationally acclaimed writer and artist for children. His simple words and sumptuous illustrations bring a freshness to this timeless fable and the stunning new cover design and imaginative interior typography will delight a whole new generation of young Wildsmith fans.
This book is part of a book series called Oxford Classic Fables .
There are 32 pages in this book. This is a picture book. A picture book uses pictures and text to tell the story. The number of words varies from zero ('wordless') to around 1k over 32 pages. Picture books are typically aimed at young readers (age 3-6) but can also be aimed at older children (7+). This book was published 2007 by Oxford University Press .
Brian Lawrence Wildsmith was a British painter and children's book illustrator. He won the 1962 Kate Greenaway Medal for British children's book illustration, for the wordless alphabet book ABC. In all his books, the illustrations are always as important as the text. Wildsmith is considered as one of the greatest children's illustrators. The British Library Association recognised his first book, the wordless alphabet book ABC (1962), with the Kate Greenaway Medal for the year's best children's book illustration by a British subject. Four of his works were subsequently commended runners-up for the Medal, all published by Oxford University Press: Oxford Book of Poetry for Children, edited by Edward Blishen, 1963; The Lion and the Rat: A Fable, by Jean de La Fontaine (1668), adapted from Aesop, also 1963; Birds, 1967; and The Owl and the Woodpecker, 1971. The biennial Hans Christian Andersen Award conferred by the International Board on Books for Young People is the highest recognition available to a writer or illustrator of children's books. Wildsmith was one of two runners-up for the inaugural illustration award in 1966 and one of three runners-up in 1968. Find out more here https://www. brianwildsmith. com/.
This book contains the following story:
The Lion and the Mouse
Some field mice were running hither and thither, playing their own game. They were so taken with their game that they did not notice the sleeping lion. In the course of the chase one mouse accidentally ran over the lion's paw, waking him from his slumber. The lion was cross and caught the little mouse by the tail. 'Please don't kill me' squealed the mouse 'I am so sorry'. The lion had intended to crush the little beast, but he tempered his mood and let the creature go. A few days later the lion was out hunting when he fell into a poacher's trap. Ropes wound around him and the terrified lion knew he could do nothing but wait for the hunter and his doom. But then he heard a little squeaking, and as he looked up he saw the mouse he had let go gnawing at the ropes. 'You were kind to me' said the mouse 'and now I will be kind to you'. The mouse gnawed through the ropes and the lion was able to escape.
