Klara Persson (text), Charlotte Ramel (illustrator) and Nichola Smalley (translation), Mine! A story of not sharing. Berbay, September 2023, 32 pp., RRP $26.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781922610676
First published in Swedish, this story of a young girl who does not want to share ANYTHING will strike a chord with families everywhere. When Sally’s mum starts to tidy up ready for Nico coming over to play, Sally decides to put all the things that she doesn’t want Nico to play with into the cupboard – her toy squirrel and the train and the fishing game. When Mum leaves the room, Sally decides that Nico is not allowed to jump on the bed so into the cupboard it goes. As more and more things get pushed into the cupboard, including the fridge and the bath, the story becomes even more ridiculous. Eventually, Sally even puts Mum in the cupboard, followed by Nico when he arrives!
This madcap narrative reaches a climax when Sally can hear noises coming from inside the cupboard and throws open the doors. Everything comes tumbling out into a big heap but provides the perfect opportunity to play together.
This absurd story with its wonderfully humorous storyline is accompanied by simple colourful drawings which would seem to be executed in coloured pencil. Sally’s facial expressions show her emotions realistically. In addition, the perspective changes and some pages require the book to be rotated vertically.
A very funny book about a very common situation.
Reviewed by Lynne Babbage