Anuska Allepuz

First, let us take a moment to consider that the Spanish title of this book is "El Burrito Verde." I find that adorable.
Little donkey loves grass. She is never going to eat anything but grass, no matter how hard her mom coaxes her to try other things! But too much grass turns little donkey... green! Can she hide her new skin tone from her mom? Or will she have to, *shudder* try something new? And what if she likes it?

This goofy story has bright, cheerful colors, not just in little donkey's show more skin, as she goes from brown to green to orange (yep, she finds out she likes carrots). Her mom is every parent trying to get a picky eater to just TRY something else! A trio of silly little mice follow little donkey in the background and the deadpan delivery of the story adds plenty of humor for older listeners.

The publisher's description describes the little donkey with male pronouns, but the story is in first person and there's actually no indication of gender at all. So I made her female, because so many picture book animals automatically devolve to male.

Verdict: I wouldn't read this to kids young enough to believe that they'll turn green, orange, etc. from eating too many of those foods, but for kids old enough to get the joke this is definitely a fun read. It would fit in well as a tongue-in-cheek story on the importance of moderation and trying new things as well.

ISBN: 9781536209372; Published July 2020 by Candlewick; Review copy provided by the publisher; Donated to the library; Featured in our first virtual storytime of the fall. show less

As soon as I saw the cover, I knew that this book must be mine (or, at least, the library’s). Elephants should always be plump and round!

A riotously-colored jungle opens the story, with five elephants of different colors and sizes enjoying the vegetation. Each elephant has their favorite fruit, but one day they discover a new tree and a new fruit. The most delicious-looking fruit anyone has ever seen! But it’s a very tall tree - how will they get it down? The elephants quarrel amongst show more themselves, trying different tactics, but only when they stop, defeated, and notice the little mice who have been busy along the sides and bottom of the page, do they find a solution.

Working together, just like the mice, the elephants learn that it’s better to say “OURS” than it is to say “MINE”. The delightful illustrations show a jostle of elephants, tumbling over each other, marching together, and getting into all kinds of hijinks as they vie for the tasty yellow fruit. A final joke is included in the end, as the smallest elephant goes zipping off through the air to join in with the mice in their feast.

As soon as you finish the book, expect to hear eager cries of “again!” as listeners will be eager to go back and follow the secondary story of the clever mice from the beginning, picking them out on each page as they come up with their own plan to get the fruit.

Verdict: A delightful choice for storytime, this story is funny, interactive, and teaches a gentle lesson without losing sight of the fun aspect of the story. Highly recommended and I eagerly await new titles from this debut author/illustrator.

ISBN: 9780807578940; This edition published 2018 by Albert Whitman; Borrowed from another library in the consortium; Purchased for the library show less

Five individualistic elephants discover an exotic, immensely appealing-looking new fruit in this picture-book exploration of learning to work together. Each one claims the treat as his own, and attempts by himself to get it down from its very tall tree. Meanwhile, five tiny mice work together, succeeding where the elephants fail, and teaching them the idea of "ours..."

A picture-book debut for Spanish expatriate author/illustrator Anuska Allepuz, now living in the UK, That Fruit Is Mine! show more pairs an engaging teaching tale with bright, appealing artwork. I appreciated the message here, about cooperation bringing better results, but it was the illustrations that held the real appeal for me. Colorful, expressive and humorous, they're both beautiful and amusing. This is one I'd recommend to young children with a tendency to claim things as their own, or to anyone looking for picture-books about sharing and working together. show less

I received this e-book ARC of Lucy Maud Montgomery (Little People, BIG DREAMS series) through Net Galley from Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoln Children's Books in exchange for a truthful review.

Oh, how I loved this little treasure! I have seen other titles in the "Little People, BIG DREAMS" series at my public library, and I was delighted to see that a title on the life of L.M. Montgomery, one of my favorite authors, would be added to the series.
The title is a juvenile biography, show more geared towards elementary school-aged children. The illustrations are in beautiful tones and enhance this short memoir of L.M. Montgomery's life, showing parallels with her childhood and those of Anne from Anne of Green Gables. While not a very long book, it ends with a list of references to other titles if the reader would like more information on L.M. Montgomery. show less