________________ CM . . . . Volume VI Number 11 . . . . February 4, 2000

cover We Share Everything!

Robert Munsch. Illustrated by Michael Martchenko.
Markham, ON: Scholastic Canada Ltd., 1999.
32 pp., pbk., $6.99.
ISBN 0-590-51450-4.

Subject Headings:
Sharing-Juvenile fiction.
Kindergarten-Juvenile fiction.
First day of school-Juvenile fiction.

Preschool-grade 1 / Ages 3-6.
Review by Karen Clay.

*** /4

excerpt:

Amanda said, "No, I won't give you this book. I'm looking at this book."
So Jeremiah tried what worked with his little brother. He said, "If you don't give me that book, I am going to yell and scream."
"Too bad!" said Amanda.
So Jeremiah opened his mouth really wide and screamed:
"AAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
Amanda stuck the book in his mouth:
BLUMPH!
Jeremiah said "GAWCK!"
image Typical of what parents have come to expect from Munsch, this book tells the story of an everyday situation with a twist and a large dose of humour. Jeremiah and Amanda, two kids at their first day of kindergarten, just can't seem to share. Despite exhortations from the teacher to share everything, they come to blows over a book, blocks, and paints. Finally, desperate to please and to figure out how to share, they exchange clothes (much to the dismay of the teacher!).

The book's strengths lie in its easygoing storytelling style and its high-spirited illustrations. The text is simple and repetitive, almost rhythmic. It is laden with exclamatory interjections (AAAAHHHH, GAWCK, OUCH, OWWW) which allow the reader plenty of scope for dramatization. The illustrations are brimming with energy and personality and that little bit of slapstick that sends kids into fits of giggles. A smiling Amanda, hands on hips, confronts a perplexed looking Jeremiah after stuffing the contested book into his mouth "BLUMPH!". The kindergarten teacher, desperate for everyone to get along, is always portrayed surrounded by a shower of pastel doves, flowers, butterflies, and even cherubs. Each illustration takes a whole page, sometimes spilling over onto the adjoining page in an exuberant fashion.

We Share Everything! is perfect for preschool children. Munsch and Martchenko have once again employed a successful formula, combining exaggerated situations and characters, with the adults looking silly and the kids, of course, coming out on top.

Recommended.

A mother of two, Karen Clay is Head of the William R. Newman Agriculture Library at the University of Manitoba.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - February 4, 2000.

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