The Lion and the Mouse is a good, age-appropriate version of the fable of the same name, with plenty of repetition, a little stretch vocabulary, and a heart-warming moral at the end. What makes it really stand out from the crowd of early reader fables is Sara Rojo Pérez’s fabulous illustrations. They are expressive and engaging, and a tour deforce of subtle storytelling. There’s a page early in the story that makes a great example: the whole page is a closeup of the lion’s yawning mouth, teeth very much in evidence, with the mouse’s shadow smack dab in the middle of his jaws. It conveys more than any words could just how much trouble the mouse is in, without needing to spell it out in frightening language. This Read-it Readers Fable shows just how much fun a simple story can be. – Krishni Burns