MINE!: Adorable pictures + meaningful messages
by annevm
A friend who just read MINE! asked: "How does Shutta Crum write a children's book with just one little word . . . well, maybe two." I don't know -- but I, too, adored Shutta's latest book, a smart, gorgeously illustrated picture book about toys, territoriality, and what happens when a stuffed blue clown is tossed across the room and lands in a dog's water dish. The story starts calmly enough, with an older child, a younger one, a frisky dog, and eleven toys. Enough to go around? Of course not! In the ensuing chaos, readers learn (or remember) that "share" can be a very challenging word. Great fun is had -- and readers will enjoy keeping their eyes on the hilarious action, as conveyed by the text and illustrator Patrice Barton's beautiful, delicate digitized pencil sketches.
Shutta Crum writes books for kids and poems for grownups. She lives and works in Ann Arbor and has twelve previous children's books in print, all available at the library. She was inspired to write "MINE!" after watching her granddaughter at play. Visit Shutta's website at shuttacrum.com to learn more.
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