That Fruit Is Mine!

PreS-Gr 1—Teachers and librarians will appreciate this story because it emphasizes the importance of teamwork while making readers smile. The story shows how five fruit-loving elephants are bested in their attempts to obtain a delicious fruit by five mice. Each elephant acts independently (huffing, parachuting, and climbing respectively), triumphantly declaring "MINE!" when attempting (in vain) to obtain the treat. Meanwhile, on the other side of the tall tree trunk, the five mice are encouraging each other, working together, and declaring "OURS!" when they are successful. The four remaining elephants realize they've been bested by a superior idea and are soon able to enjoy the tasty snack once they decide to work together. This story will make a fun and easy read-aloud, as Allepuz has repeated certain key words (with exclamation marks) and has used a distinctly different font for the comments of the mice. Further, the illustrations amusingly convey the expressions and actions of the elephants while portraying a stylized jungle in which the unusual and unexpected can happen.