睡前听绘本有助于提高孩子的理解力、想象力和逻辑思维能力，对大脑的发育很有帮助。对于英文睡前故事，家长们不必纠结孩子能否听懂单词或者大段的句子，优秀的语言环境能够帮助孩子建立英文语感，提高对英文的反应速度，减少对中文解释的依赖。
The Lion and the Mouse
狮子和小老鼠
适读年龄：5-12岁
《狮子和老鼠》的这个故事出自著名的Aesop's Fables（伊索寓言），后被改编成多个版本流传到世界上很多国家。故事讲述了在狮子睡着的时候，有只老鼠跳到了他身上，狮子准备吃掉老鼠。老鼠请求饶命，并说如果保住性命，必将报恩，狮子轻蔑地笑了笑，便把他放走了。不久，狮子被猎人的网困住了。老鼠听到了他的哀嚎，走过去咬断绳索，放走了狮子。这故事说明，时运交替变更，强者也会有需要弱者的时候。
声音来自：帅气博学的David老师
大家好，我是来自美国的David，我的家乡在明尼苏达州，那是一个比较寒冷但是又非常美丽的地方。我热爱大自然和各种活动。我毕业于圣母大学，专业是文学。很开心为小朋友们带来睡前故事的朗读，祝大家有个甜蜜的梦乡。
One day, a Lion was taking a nap.
Soon, a little Mouse came running by.
He was in a hurry to get home.
The Mouse did not see the Lion.
So he ran right over the Lion’s nose!
有一天，狮子正在打盹儿。
不一会儿，一只小老鼠跑了过来。
他急着要回家。
小老鼠没有注意到狮子。
所以他径直地从狮子的鼻子上跑了过去！
The Lion woke up with a loud roar.
He grabbed the little Mouse with his big paw.
“I’M GOING TO EAT YOU!”roared the lion.
“YOU WOKE ME UP!”
The Lion opened his big jaws.
He was going to eat the little Mouse!
“Dear Lion, please do not eat me! ”
said the Mouse.
“I did not mean to wake you up. Please let me go! ”
狮子大声咆哮着醒了。
他用他那巨大的爪子一把抓住了小老鼠。
“我要吃了你！”狮子咆哮道。
“你把我弄醒了！”
狮子张开大嘴巴。
他要吃了小老鼠！
“亲爱的狮子，请不要吃掉我！”
小老鼠乞求道。
“我不是故意弄醒你的。求你放我走吧！”
The little Mouse kept talking and begging.
“Dear Lion, please, please let me go!
If you do, maybe one day I will help you. ”
The Lion laughed at the little Mouse.
He laughed so hard that he could not stop.
“You think you can help me? ” he asked.
“How could a little Mouse ever help me? ”
小老鼠不停地求饶。
“亲爱的狮子啊，求你了，求你放我走吧！
如果你放了我，或许有一天，我能帮到你呢。”
狮子看着小老鼠笑了。
他放声大笑，甚至都停不下来了。
“你觉得你能帮助我？”他问道。
“一只小老鼠怎么帮我？”
“What a funny little Mouse you are! ” said the Lion.
“I think I will let you go.
I am not that hungry, anyway. ”
The little Mouse was so happy!
He ran off to his home.
“Thank you, dear Lion! ” he called.
But the Lion did not hear him.
He was still laughing too hard!
狮子说道：“你真是一只有意思的小老鼠！”
“我觉得我会放你走的。
再说，我也没有那么饿。”
小老鼠高兴极了！
他一路跑回了家。
“谢谢你，亲爱的狮子！”他大喊道。
但是，狮子没有听见他的喊声。
他还在那狂笑不止呢。
A few days later, the Lion was out walking.
Suddenly, a hunter’s net trapped him.
He was caught.
The Lion roared and tried to get free.
But he was trapped!
The little Mouse was close by.
He was taking a nap.
The Mouse woke up when he heard the Lion roar.
“The Lion needs my help, ” he said.
So he went to find the Lion.
几天之后，狮子在外面走路。
突然，猎人的网将他罩住了。
他被抓到了。
狮子咆哮着，试图获得自由。
但是，它还是被困住了。
小老鼠就在附近。
他在打盹儿。
当他听到狮子的吼声，他醒了。
“狮子需要我的帮助。”他说道。
于是，他出发去寻找狮子。
The little Mouse saw the Lion in the hunter’s net.
“I will help you, dear Lion, ” he said.
“Do not be silly, little Mouse, ” said the Lion.
“What can you do? No one can help me now! ”
“I can help you, ” said the little Mouse.
So the Mouse went to work.
小老鼠看到，狮子被困在了猎人的网里面。
说道：“我会帮助你，亲爱的狮子。”
“不要这么傻了，小老鼠，”狮子说道，
“你能做什么？现在没有人能帮我！”
“我能帮你”。小老鼠说。
于是他开始行动起来。
He bit at the ropes with his little teeth.
He bit and he chewed. He chewed and he bit.
Then he bit and he chewed some more.
It took the little Mouse a long time.
But at last, the Lion was free!
“How can I thank you? ” asked the Lion.
“What can I do for you? ”
他用他的小牙咬着绳子。
他不停地咬呀，啃呀，啃呀，咬呀。
慢慢地，他咬断的绳子越来越多。
但是最后，狮子还是重获自由啦！
“我该怎么感谢你？”狮子问道，
“我能为你做些什么呢？”
“Well, there is one thing, ” said the Mouse.
“I want to be your friend. ”
And so it was.
The Lion and the Mouse became best friends.
And the Lion learned this lesson:
“A little friend can be the best friend of all ! ”