Good Morning, Neighbor

K-Gr 2—In this charming cumulative tale, a small mouse is hungry for an omelet, but doesn't have an egg. He reaches out to a succession of neighbors, and each one offers something to improve on his initial request (butter, sugar, flour) and gradually adds their possessions to make a cake. Once the necessary ingredients are added, Owl contributes the use of his oven, and all that's left to decide is the division of the cake—should it be eight slices or nine? A dark watercolor palette introduces each woodland animal, some with humanlike houses in their natural surroundings. The final decision of slicing the confection incorporates the comments of the different animals, an opportunity for little ones to discover repeated phrases, predict the contributions to the cake, and reflect on the final decision to include little Mouse in its division.