A riotously-colored jungle opens the story, with five elephants of different colors and sizes enjoying the vegetation. Each elephant has their favorite fruit, but one day they discover a new tree and a new fruit. The most delicious-looking fruit anyone has ever seen! But it’s a very tall tree - how will they get it down? The elephants quarrel amongst themselves, trying different tactics, but only when they stop, defeated, and notice the little mice who have been busy along the sides and bottom of the page, do they find a solution.
Working together, just like the mice, the elephants learn that it’s better to say “OURS” than it is to say “MINE”. The delightful illustrations show a jostle of elephants, tumbling over each other, marching together, and getting into all kinds of hijinks as they vie for the tasty yellow fruit. A final joke is included in the end, as the smallest elephant goes zipping off through the air to join in with the mice in their feast.
As soon as you finish the book, expect to hear eager cries of “again!” as listeners will be eager to go back and follow the secondary story of the clever mice from the beginning, picking them out on each page as they come up with their own plan to get the fruit.
Verdict: A delightful choice for storytime, this story is funny, interactive, and teaches a gentle lesson without losing sight of the fun aspect of the story. Highly recommended and I eagerly await new titles from this debut author/illustrator.
ISBN: 9780807578940; This edition published 2018 by Albert Whitman; Borrowed from another library in the consortium; Purchased for the library
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