Jungle bullies

Pre-Gr 1-In this cumulative picture book, Elephant wants to swim in the pond, so he chases Hippo away. Hippo forces Lion to move so that he can get by, and Lion chases Leopard out of his favorite spot. Leopard forces Monkey out of the tree, and he runs to Mama, who advises him to stand up for himself. With her help, he tells Leopard, "Don't you tell me what to do, this tree's big enough for two. Share it with me as a friend, don't be mean to me again." This rhythmic refrain is repeated as each animal, with the help of his new friends, stands up to the bigger bully until all of the creatures are playing together in the pond. The watercolor and charcoal spreads with digital techniques are inviting and simple while conveying the animals' fear and then remorse when confronted. The predictable recurring text makes this a good read-aloud and a helpful way to introduce the topic to children.-Kristine M. Casper, Huntington Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Larger and fiercer jungle animals displace smaller ones (""Elephant was bigger than Hippo, so Hippo splashed out of the pond"") until baby Monkey stands up to Leopard, which triggers a ripple effect for sharing and friendship. Textured, expressive pencil and watercolor illustrations aptly depict the jungle hierarchy. The unabashedly didactic text presents a message of empowerment. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.