MINE!

Possessiveness goes to some (il)logical extremes in this highly amusing Swedish import.

Sally’s not the kind of kid naturally given to sharing. Put plainly, she’d rather shove everything that she deems hers into her wardrobe before her friend Nico comes over. Initially, it’s just little things. Her squirrel stuffy. A toy train. A picture of puppies. But as she shoves more and more items in, Sally gets ambitious. In goes the bed! Then the bathtub, the refrigerator, and even her own mother! Everything reaches a peak when Nico arrives and Sally, perturbed at the thought of her other friend Eva stopping by to play with him, shoves him in the wardrobe as well! Only when everything’s gone does Sally come to suspect that the objects in her wardrobe may be more fun when they’re on the outside. Persson skillfully eschews didacticism, allowing the story to show rather than tell why Sally’s hoarding inclinations are less than ideal. The formatting of many pages will require readers to rotate the book, lending the read a dynamic energy that pairs well with the text. Kids will find the whole concept a hoot and will come away understanding that greed isn’t actually that good. Sally, her mom, and Eva are light-skinned, while Nico is darker-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A paean to the realization that while sharing may be caring, it’s also more fun!