Everyone gets a say

Democracy comes to the forest. When a diverse group of forest creatures starts to squabble over an unused patch of land, a quiet snail named Pudding introduces the idea of democracy, specifically through voting. The story's tone emphasizes cooperation and inclusion, but it also has nuanced layers that provide educators or caregivers room to introduce additional themes and interweave contemporary moments into the tale if they so choose. Opportunities also arise to talk about the food web and biology, as the various friends want to use the land for legitimate, if somewhat self-serving reasons: Toast the butterfly wants to grow flowers, and Jitterbug the chipmunk wants to plant acorns in order to increase the nut supply in the forest. Meanwhile, otter twins Duffles and Nudge want a mudslide to the lake, and goose Geezer wants land for edible greens. The text is enhanced by illustrations that have the look of watercolor, and the balance of white space on some pages against lush colorful spreads allows the book to work well whether it's read aloud to a group or studied closely in a lap. The ending, which shows an equal division of the land and no sore feelings, is hopeful if a skosh on the simplistic side for realistic readers, and Twiss' habit of capitalizing significant words ("The Yells got louder. And the Shouts got shoutier") has a patronizing whiff to it. Still, young children will see the value. We vote yes. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.