SHARED SPACE

What would you do if someone dumped all their “treasures” in your yard?

Mouse loves having his own yard. The lawn is always mowed to perfection, and there’s never so much as a twig or a branch out of place. Mouse has room to stretch and play…until Pak-Rat moves into the other side of Mouse’s tree trunk condo and begins decorating the shared yard with pinwheels, feline garden gnomes, chimes, and a flock of pink flamingos. Mouse dislikes the new additions, but he tries to ignore the intrusion. Finally, he attempts to express his concerns, but Pak-Rat can’t hear him over all the noise his new decorations are making. One night, after Mouse reaches his breaking point, he digs a deep hole and buries Pak-Rat’s lawn ornaments. Unfortunately, Mole unearths them all. It’s time for Mouse to come clean to Pak-Rat, and they reach a compromise. They both learn that being neighbors means they need to share and be flexible—but it also means having a friend to do things with. Busy, colorful, digitally created cartoon illustrations vividly depict a timid, fastidious Mouse, a clueless, exuberant Pak-Rat, and an increasingly crowded yard. The detailed artwork will provoke laughter but will also provide opportunities for discussion. Plenty of sound effects and a few puns add to the reading fun.

A funny and heartfelt demonstration of the right and wrong ways to resolve conflicts and share space.