Once upon a time, on a warm, golden afternoon, a big lion named Leo lay down to nap under a shady tree. He stretched out his big paws, rested his big head, and closed his big sleepy eyes. Soon he was snoring. "Rrrr-hmmm. Rrrr-hmmm."

Nearby lived a little grey mouse called Mimi. Mimi was in a hurry to get home. She scurried through the grass, pitter-pat, pitter-pat, and she didn't notice the lion at all. Up she went, over his paw, across his soft mane, and right along the tip of his nose.

Leo's nose began to tickle. It twitched. It wiggled. And then, "A-A-A-CHOO!" Leo woke up with a great big sneeze. He saw the little mouse and gently put one big paw down on the grass in front of her, so she couldn't run off. "Well, well," he rumbled. "Who is tickling my nose in the middle of my nap?"

Mimi's whiskers trembled. "Oh! I'm so sorry, Mister Lion. I didn't mean to wake you. I was only hurrying home to my family. Please let me go. And one day, maybe, I can help you too." Leo laughed a deep, rolling laugh. "Ho, ho! A tiny mouse like you, help a big lion like me? That's a funny idea. But you said sorry very nicely. Off you go, little one, and mind my nose next time." He lifted his paw, and Mimi scampered away. "Thank you!" she squeaked. "I won't forget!"

A few days later, Leo went for a walk at the edge of the jungle. A bright yellow butterfly fluttered past his nose, and Leo followed it, pad, pad, pad, deeper and deeper among the trees. He was so busy watching the butterfly that he didn't look where he was going. He stepped right into a big tangle of long, twisty jungle vines.

The vines wrapped around his legs. They wound around his tail. They even got caught in his fluffy mane. Leo wiggled to the left and wiggled to the right, but the more he wiggled, the more tangled he became. He wasn't hurt at all, but he was very, very stuck. "Oh dear, oh dear," he grumbled. "How will I ever get out?" And he gave a long, loud call. "ROOOAR!"

Far away, Mimi heard the call. Her little ears pricked up. "That sounds like my friend the lion!" She ran as fast as her tiny legs could carry her, pitter-pat, pitter-pat, pitter-pat, until she found Leo in the tangle of vines. "Don't worry, Mister Lion," she said. "I'm here. Stay very still."

Mimi climbed up onto the vines and started to nibble with her sharp little teeth. Nibble, nibble, nibble. Snip! One vine broke. Nibble, nibble, nibble. Snip! Another vine broke. She nibbled the vines around his legs, and the vines around his tail, and very carefully she nibbled the vines out of his mane. Nibble, nibble, snip. Nibble, nibble, snip. At last, Leo shook himself and stepped out, free.

Leo looked down at the tiny mouse, and his big eyes were soft and kind. "Mimi," he said quietly, "you were right, and I was wrong to laugh. Even the smallest friend can be the very best help." Mimi smiled a proud little smile. "And even the biggest lion can be gentle," she said. "You let me go home that day."

By now the sun was sinking low, and the sky was turning pink and orange. The two friends walked slowly back to the shady tree together, one big set of pawprints and one tiny set. Leo lay down on the soft warm grass and gave a long, slow yawn. "Aaah-hmmm." Mimi yawned too, a tiny little yawn. "Eee-hmm."

Leo curled his tail around, making a cosy nest, and Mimi snuggled into his soft mane. The breeze whispered in the leaves. The first stars began to twinkle. Leo's gentle snore started again, low and slow, like a lullaby. "Rrrr-hmmm. Rrrr-hmmm." And the little mouse, warm and safe, closed her eyes and fell fast asleep.

Parent tip: Make the lion's snores slow and low and the mouse's nibbles tiny and quiet, letting your voice get softer toward the last page.

Ask your child: After the story, you can ask: “Who was kind in this story, and what did they do?”

This is a gentle retelling with no hunters or traps; the lion is only tangled in vines and everyone is safe.