"The Lion and the Rat"

Title: "The Lion and the Rat"
Author: La Fontaine
Illustrator: Brian Wildsmith
Genre: Fable
Grade Level: Pre-k through 1st grade
Characters: Lion, rat, other random jungle animals
Summary: The lion allows the rat to pass without any harm and the rat promises that it will help the lion one day. The lion shrugs off the rat's comment and believes that he will never benefit from the weaker animals. The lion becomes entangled in a trap and roars for help and other animals refrain from helping, because they believe that they are too weak. The rat comes along and slowly frees the lion by biting through the net. The lion learns that even the smallest and weakest creatures may patiently work hard to achieve great efforts. I really enjoyed this story and it's message.