Once a Mouse...

Title: Once a Mouse...
Author/ Illustrator: Marcia Brown
Genre: Traditional Literature
Awards: Caldecott Medal (1962)
Grade Level: PK-2

Based on an ancient Indian fable, a hermit saves a little mouse from a crow. Then, a cat approaches the mouse. But with his magic power, the hermit transforms the little mouse into a cat. Later, a dog appears and the hermit turns the cat, once a mouse, into a big dog. A tiger attacks the dog, but once again, the hermit changes the dog into a tiger. This new tiger is prideful and believes he is the king of the forest above all the other animals. The hermit reminds him of his humble origin as a little mouse, but he is offended and plans to kill the man. Reading the ungrateful tiger's mind, the hermit turns the tiger back into his original state and shuns him. 

With its distinct, red, yellow, and brown woodcut illustrations and simple message to be humble and grateful, I would use this book with younger elementary students. I could use this book to introduce the concept of size and the food chain. As an activity, students could make vegetable prints of various animals and order them by size.


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