IT'S MINE!

Another sweetly didactic picture book in Lionni's familiar, brightly colored collage style. Three frogs spend their time quarreling, mostly over territory (Mil. ton: "The water is mine"; Rupert: "The earth is mine"; Lydia: "The air is mine"; and so forth). Despite the warnings of a neighboring toad, they persist until a storm forces them to the one rock in the pond remaining above the flood waters. When the sun returns, they discover that the rock was, in fact, the toad who has thus taught them a lesson in cooperation. The three take it to heart, joyfully proclaiming the island "ours!" Like most of Lionni's work, this is not subtle, but its young-reader audience will Find the language clear and precise, the illustrations cleanly done and full of action. Unfortunately, the binding sometimes obscures essential parts of the pictures. Overall, the art lacks the wit of Frederick and the extravagance of Swimmy and Inch by Inch, but suits the story well.