Review by Booklist Review
In a firecracker of a story, Meisel, a Geisel Honoree for two other I Like to Read titles, See Me Run (2011) and I See a Cat (2017), provides the kind of repetition, short sentences, and familiar vocabulary that are hallmarks of this series for emergent readers. As two siblings engage in an escalating battle, the older sibling, a boy, is shown carrying a box of toys, with one word in the thought bubble over his head: "Mine." He quickly surrounds himself with toys, including a superhero character, trucks, cars, emergency vehicles, and a large, crazed-looking dragon. His pigtailed little sister has none--until she sneaks a tiny car away from him, happily voicing the truck: "Beep." This turns out to be the starting point of the fight, with the outraged boy repeatedly demanding, "I want it." The illustrations, done in pen and ink and digitally colored, are wonderfully expressive. The heavy rings drawn round the siblings' eyes and mouths make them look completely outraged. The illustrations also move from solitary imaginative play to sneaking into the opposing sibling's camp to full-out flailing on the floor. Plenty of action that any child can relate to makes this widely accessible, and a nice "Let's play!" resolution gives a comforting conclusion.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1--This beginning reader opens with a young boy carrying a teeming box of toys. Short sentences and repeated words punctuate his play until he notices that his little sister is playing with a blue car. "I want it," he declares and takes the toy. As he continues to play, his collection of toys growing larger and larger, his sister helps herself to a toy dragon on the margins. Once again, the boy declares, "I want it," and this time a fight ensues before he wins it back and promptly forgets about it. Yet again, the girl takes a neglected toy, this time a stuffed rabbit. When her brother announces, "Mine!" she responds, "I want it. I want it. I want it," the font growing larger with each repetition. At this, her brother acquiesces, and they share the toys with a jubilant "Let's play!" The characters' faces are expressive, and Meisel cleverly frames the illustrations to emphasize the disparity in the siblings' cache of toys. Both characters cue as white. The front of the book includes a list of phonics features. VERDICT The relatable story and structured repetition of both vocabulary and plot elements makes this a solid choice for emerging readers.--Lauren Strohecker
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Geisel honoree Meisel (for I See a Cat and See Me Run) tells an amusing story of sibling rivalry in cartoons and minimalist speech-bubble dialogue. Before the main text begins, the younger sibling previews the story line with the shout, "I WANT IT!" On the title page, the smiling older sibling saunters in carrying a box overflowing with toys: "Mine." In just those four words and two images, readers will understand the power dynamic. Meisel's jaunty pen-and-ink drawings zero in on the plot, while the text maximizes the repetition of simple words. The older sibling plays with vehicles and a superhero action figure in a series of spot illustrations: "Go. Goal. Here I go. Go, go, go." When the younger sib starts playing with a car the older one isn't using ("Beep"), the older sibling jumps in ("Mine"). They scuffle over a blue dragon and a stuffed bunny ("I WANT IT. I WANT IT. I WANT IT") before reaching a compromise. Meisel packs an impressive amount of activity and emotion into a handful of speech bubbles and images in this enjoyable beginning reader. Adrienne L. PettinelliMay/June 2025 p.92 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Learning to play together is a challenge. A short-haired child in blue jeans and a striped shirt happily plays with toys from a red box. The child has plenty to say about all the items: "Mine!" The car: "Go." A miniature figure with a soccer ball: "Goal." A plane: "I can fly." The child is surrounded by toys but… "What?" A smaller, younger-looking child with pigtails in ribbons and a pink polka-dot shirt is playing with a small blue car: "Beep." The bigger child wrestles the car away: "I want it." "Wah!" wails the smaller child. This tale of a familiar domestic conflict uses only a handful of words, all in dialogue balloons, accompanied by artwork that offers plenty of clues to what's happening. As they tackle this simple text that perfectly punctuates the drama, young listeners and emerging readers will recognize the complex feelings of both characters--and will be happy to see things come to a satisfying resolution. When the littler one picks up one last toy, the older child's claim of "Mine!" is countered with an emphatic, repeated, "I WANT IT." The words escalate in size, and the surprise on the older child's face signals a win for the little one: "Okay." "Let's play!" The unadorned background keeps the focus on the action and emotion--and the words. Both children are light-skinned. Salutary for big kids and encouraging for little ones.(Early reader. 4-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
