THAT FRUIT IS MINE!

Five little mice show five elephants the power of teamwork in this debut picture book.

Five elephants, living deep in the heart of the jungle, love fruit. One day, they see “the MOST delicious-looking exotic fruit” on a very tall tree, and each of them wants to eat it. While they try, one by one, to reach the fruit in ingenious but varying ways (“MINE!”), a group of five tiny mice, barely noticeable at first, work together to reach the golden yellow fruit and soon carry it away (“OURS!”). Illustrations are cartoonlike and expressive, with different shades of vibrant green for the jungle flora and the elephants and mice in different shades of brown and gray. Using the collaborative example set by the mice, the elephants now use their previous, individual ideas to work as a team, bringing down those delicious fruits and enjoying them together (OURS!”), except for Elephant Two, who is still gliding through the air on a leaf parachute! The elephants’ part of the story is conveyed in conventionally laid out sans-serif print, while the mice’s part is set in a significantly smaller, faux typescript face that works dynamically within the illustrations, bunching up behind the mice as they climb and swinging out as they approach the hanging fruit.

A solid title that emphasizes the importance of teamwork and cooperation to get to your desired fruit.