Mine! by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Eric Rohmann

Fleming and Rohmann's distinct styles blend to create a new storytime classic in their latest work.

Rohmann's thick black lines and sharp colors start the story with a generous helping of white space and a single, red apple. Fleming jumps in with a tongue-twisting but irresistible rhyme, "In a tall, tall tree/at the tip-tippy top,/hung a single red apple,/just about to drop." The story continues with a succession of animals, from a tiny mouse to a big bear, all imagining the delight when the apple falls and it is theirs to devour. When the apple finally drops, the animals leap out of their hiding places only to become embroiled in an angry fight over the treat. The apple rolls away and a happy bystander is the winner of the treat, one who is more than willing to share!

There's a mild lesson about sharing and not being greedy, but the real fun of this story is the simple, bold illustrations, cheerful rhymes, and engaging wordplay with compound words like "waggety-dashed" "lumbered" "morsel" and "bolted."

Verdict: There are a lot of picture books coming out now and the bulk of them seem to be designed for older listeners and readers with more complex themes, elaborate art, and layers of meaning. It's a delight to go back to a simpler time with an engaging story that's fun to read aloud and will engage the attention of our littlest listeners. Sure to be a storytime classic, this is a must-have for any library that services toddlers and preschoolers.

ISBN: 9780593181669; Published August 2023 by Schwartz & Wade; Borrowed from another library in my consortium