Mine!

by Shutta Crum, Patrice Barton (Illustrator)

Have you ever had a toy you really really liked?  Have you ever had a lot of toys you really really liked?

Have you ever said "MINE!"?

If so, this book is for you!

Enjoy this adorable, playful, picture-based book about two very young children and an adorable dog navigating the troubles and triumphs of sharing.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Family, Dogs, Humor

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Shutta Crum is bi-peninsular, spending half the year in Michigan and half the year in Florida. She is the author of three middle-grade novels and fifteen picture books, as well as many poems, magazine articles, and two poetry chapbooks for adults. Her books have made Bank Street College lists as well as state award lists. THUNDER-BOOMER! was an ALA and a Smithsonian Magazine “Notable Book” of the year. WHEN YOU GET HERE (poems for adults) won a gold Royal Palm Literary Award, (FL). She is also the author of two nearly wordless books MINE! and UH-OH! both published by Knopf. MINE! made the Texas 2X2 list and was a Crystal Kite Award winner for the illustrator Patrice Barton. Of MINE! the N. Y. Times said, “a delightful example of the drama and emotion that a nearly wordless book can convey.” In 2005 she was invited to read at the Easter Egg Roll at the White House. She is a retired librarian and now blogs regularly for the Florida Writers Association, writes a bimonthly column for the Fl. State Poetry Association magazine Of Poets & Poetry, and leads the Friday Follies writing group. In addition, she writes and publishes THE WORDSMITH’S PLAYGROUND, a monthly newsletter for writers. For more info: www.shutta.com

Reviews

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dog and two toddlers, and not sharing and sharing is the scope of this virtually wordless picture book. The word mine is included many times, but this is otherwise a story told through pictures.

It’s very cute and definitely accurately captures the play and toy possessiveness of most very young children. The dog was so funny and I was amused by the entire account. The dog’s exuberance, and that of the children, is a joy to behold.

This story is suitable for the youngest child, and might be a terrific book to read while talking about sharing with others.

The art style of the illustrations wasn’t quite my cup of tea, but I enjoyed them anyway. They’re amusing and sweet and they do a great job of telling what happens from moment to moment.

[Carolynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The lively, humorous illustrations (digital pencil sketches) carry the story in this nearly wordless picture book. The two toddlers and the puppy in the story have a wonderful time, and you will, too.

[Alyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute, very funny book about sharing(or not) and first friends. I love that we are down on the floor with the toddlers and only see the adults from the knees down.

[حسناء · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is so cute

[Amelia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one I don’t think went over so well during story time. They sat and they listened as I tried to narrate this nearly wordless picture book about a set of toddlers and a dog learning how to share. The pictures were too soft and pastel and insubstantial and I think everyone was just a little lost by the plot, as in so what that the dog and babies were playing with toys and romping in the water bowl. I don’t think it was the favorite of the night. Probably much better received if read one-on-one.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Mine!, a nearly wordless picture book by Shutta Crum and Patrice Barton, two small children and a puppy try learning to share. The story begins on the end papers, as two adults, unseen from the waist up, bring the little ones, a baby who does not yet walk and a slightly older toddler, to a pile of toys, inviting them to play together. The dog sits scratching his ear beside his water bowl a short distance away. Though there is a lot of action to come, everything involved in the story appears in this very first image, which sets us up for the scenes that follow.

After the title page, the older child begins staking her claim on the toys. "Mine, mine, mine," she says, as she snatches up each of them. The baby and the dog each get a hold on something, though, and begin to wreak havoc. While the dog chews a ball, the baby throws a star-fish shaped stuffed toy across the room into the dog's water dish. The toddler is upset at first, but changes her tune quickly when she realizes the fun of dumping all the toys in the dog dish. By the end of the story, both kids are soaked, as are the toys, but they have become friends and learned that sharing doubles the fun of a playdate.

I think the great thing about this book is that kids who can talk can tell the entire story themselves, without any help from an adult. Everything they see in the illustrations is something they can likely name, and the story is something they can relate to, so it would be easy for them to put their own words to the pictures. The facial expressions and body movements of both the children in the story also make for some laugh out loud funny moments, and really portray all the mischief and movement of little kids on the go.

[Cheryl Rainfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book I’ve been meaning to review for a while; I first read it as a hardcover picture book and fell in love with it. I recently got the board book as well, and fell in love with it all over again.

In Mine, a toddler who has trouble with sharing learns not only to share, but to make friends–with both the baby and the dog.

This delightful picture book is almost wordless; the only two words that appear are “mine” and “woof” (from the dog).
Shutta captured the childlike joy of play and copying something silly (such as dropping toys into the dog’s water bowl and enjoying the splash, after the dog did that first), as well as the desire to have something be your own. I love how Shutta shows the natural openness and kindness of children (who haven’t been hurt).

Patrice Barton’s style is warm and soft, almost fuzzy, reminiscent of Shirley Hughes. She captures the emotions of the two children and the dog so beautifully, with expressive faces and body language. The illustrations look like watercolor, gouache, and pencil, with shadow grounding the characters and the toys on the ground, and lines to show motion (like throwing a toy). A cute, expressive little dog appears in almost every image, and will be fun for little readers to see what she/he is up to.

There is such a lovely sense of play and fun in this book, and the ending is sweet and heartwarming. It may encourage co-operation, friendship, and play. Highly recommended.

[Brunette Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a book that only has two words, "Mine" is a delightful telling of two siblings, their dog, and an argument over their toys. Of the two words, I bet you can't figure out which one plays an important role in the story! (Insert grin here!)
It's a tale as old as time. Sharing. It isn't easy, it isn't fun, but we all must do it. In this tale by Shutta Crum, two siblings have to learn this lesson the hard way. When the baby reaches for a toy, the toddler grabs it away and tells him, "Mine!" The scene is repeated throughout the story until, as all good stories do, the story ends with a happy ending...the knowledge that sometimes sharing can be fun.
A simple story, yet stunningly crafted, "Mine" is a great story for toddlers. It relates to children in an easy to understand, truly elemental way. One of my favorite illustrators out there, Patrice Barton, who is an amazing artist, brings the story to life. I thought it was adorable and can't wait to share it with the kids this summer at my library.

Book Details
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Date of Publication: June 14, 2011
# of Pages: 32
ISBN: 978-0375867118

Originally published on http://brunettelibrarian.blogspot.com

[Lauren Fogg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two young children are playing with toys. The older, a little boy, begins collecting the toys as he informs the other child, which I am to assume is his baby sister, that those toys belong to him. The little boy even takes the ball away from the dog and exclaims "Mine!" Eventually a stray toy makes it's way into the hands of the baby sister who gives the toy a toss. It lands directly into the dog's water bowl. The little boy witnesses this and a moment later, dumps all the toys into the water dish. By the end of the story, both the children and the dog are rolling around, having a good time sharing and playing with the toys.

The illustrations by Patrice Barton are nicely drawn and clearly depict the action and events of this story that contains only one word..."mine". The reader can immediately sense what the book in trying to convey. This is a good book for young children who are beginning to read and may help in teaching the concept of sharing.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely appreciated this one after four or five times going through it to make sure I was seeing everything in the pictures. There's a really nice sequencing of events here, endpaper-to-endpaper, showing how you get from a nice clean kitchen with a tidy pile of toys to a sopping mess. (One thing falls in the water, all the things must fall in the water; toddler pats the dog and says, "Mine!", so the baby tackles the toddler and says, "Mine!")

I'm not sure it's a baby or young toddler book, despite the main characters, just because of the number of objects on each page, the soft colors, and the cause-and-effect that must be understood, but I would love to give it to a chatty three-year-old or an on-the-brink-of-reading preschooler and let them go to town.

Just watching the socks work their way off the toddler's feet made my day.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two siblings, one a toddler, one a little bit older, lay claim to all the toys in their dominion, and when the family dog gets in on the action, the little one ends up toddling over to his big sister and claiming her for his own with a big, "Mine!" The double-page spread that shows him crouching and then slowly, painstakingly, standing on his own two feet before flopping on his surprised sister is quite clever and realistic. The endpapers showing the two family members reaching out to each other amid all the chaos of strewn toys, clothing, and a dog bowl emptied of a milky liquid are especially charming. Young readers will enjoy returning to this title and noting all the action in the illustrations that consist of pencil sketches created digitally. I liked this one more each time I read it.

[Tina Andrade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crum, S. (2011). Mine! New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

-Starred Review Publishers Weekly 2011.
-Starred Review Kirkus Reviews 2011.
-Starred Review School Library Journal 2011.
-School Library Journal, Best Books of the Year, 2011.
-SCBWI Crystal Kite Award winner, 2012.

Wordless.

This is an adorable little book as far as wordless books go, but I am biased to books with only pictures. I personally am just not a fan. However, this story clearly illustrates a young child acting out because she thinks absolutely everything is hers. It's cute to see the child throw tantrums and make a mess, then to end up being on the receiving end when her younger sibling starts to behave the very same way. This book could be used to discuss sharing and getting along with pre-k and first grade students. Very nicely illustrated!

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

The toddler picks up toys scattered around the feet of the two children and announces firmly, “Mine.” The baby grabs one remaining toy and tosses it into the air where it lands in the dog’s water bowl with an enormous splash. The toddler picks up all the toys and tosses them into the water bowl. The dog collects all the wet toys and gathers them up in a heap under himself, announcing, “Woof?” The toddler pats the dog’s head, saying, “Mine!” The baby, falteringly, stands, walks a few steps, and then falls happily on the toddler, shouting, “Mine!” The final panel shows a wet floor, with two sets of grownup feet gathering up the two children and cleaning up the mess.

Simple and immediately understandable to young children.

[Kirsten · Rating 2 out of 5]

This 'easy reader' follows two toddlers and their dog as they learn how to share.

The Easy reader can be concerned great or horrible it depends on what you are looking for your pre-reader to get from a book. This book, I feel, would not be very useful for most pre-readers. There are only two words used in the story: "mine" and "woof". Therefore this book would not be very useful as a bed time story. Also the pictures are not clearly or sharply painted. So it could be hard for younger readers to enjoy the pictures. However for those older readers this book could be enjoyable because they can tell the story for themselves.

[Janie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Language-learning studies show that birth order influences what word sets and types are in children's first working vocabulary. Younger siblings tend to be more likely to use "mine" sooner. Perhaps not surprisingly, they generally seem to have more of a habit of verbalizing when claiming territory.

I was hoping for the book to be an illustration of this, intended or not, as I knew before coming to it that "mine" is Mine's only word (besides one stray "woof").

On first reading I thought I didn't get what I was looking for, but ... I dunno. Maybe I did!

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very cute, humorous story that captures beautifully that feeling of possessiveness kids (and some adults!) feel about their toys, especially with a new little sibling in the house. The nuances of the story are almost entirely in the illustrations (the repeated word "Mine!" is really the only text) and Barton does a wonderful job. (I also loved her work in Sweet Moon Baby). The little dog is very cute, too, and I liked the resolution to the conflict.

[Juliana Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two children are put down to play on the floor with a pile of toys. The older child removes everything from the younger child's reach. However, he inadvertently leaves behind on very special toy which the younger child gets a hold of and throws across the room. The toy lands in the dog's dish and becomes his toy. Soon all the toys accidentally end up in the dog's dish and the two children have fun tossing wet, soggy toys into the air. The dog runs around collecting all the toys. The older child claims the dog, and in a sweet scene the younger child claims the older child as "Mine!".

[BillyAnn Stempel]

This book is about a young boy who is very attached to his toy. He is always running around saying "Mine!". He has a dog and a little brother who try to get their share of time with the toy but he insists that it is his.

Illustrations appear to be done in watercolor and pen.

I think this book could be used for very young readers or as a read aloud for those who aren't yet reading. Outside of this setting though I do not see this book as a super educational piece. I was not the biggest fan of this book.

[Joella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE THIS BOOK! There are only two words in here. "Mine!" and "Woof?" But the story is so well crafted. It is yet another one where the pictures tell all the story--and what a great story it is. This is about a toddler, a baby, a dog, and a whole pile of toys. You can guess who thinks that baby should not play with the toys because they are "Mine!" But what you can't guess is the brilliant ending. I LOVE IT! Go find it, go read it, go love it too!

[Candice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only two words in this book - Mine and Woof - but what a story! A baby, a toddler, and a dog are sitting by a pile of toys. The toddler proceeds to pick up each of the toys and proclaim them "Mine." The pictures are hilarious, as the dog's water dish becomes involved. And the end is a real heart-warmer, as the baby learns a new word and makes a new friend. Great, expressive illustrations of two sweet little tykes, and a dog who likes to play.

[Debbie Hoskins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very fun book almost wordless. I think you could have wonderful conversations with your 1 to 3 year olds with it.

Shutta Crum is a wonderful, creative person - who has published quite a few books now. She was even invited to an Easter egg hunt at Laura Bush's White House. She put in her dues as a teacher of writing and a librarian.

[jacky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book tells a story using only the word "mine." Given that, the illustrations play a huge role. I happen to love the illustrations and find them adorable and playful. I was expecting more of a direct story about sharing, but its more subtle. The two children do figure out how to play together and use the word mine to express love.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nearly wordless (except for the words "mine!" and "woof!"), this is a story any kid can relate to and read independently after hearing it read aloud. A toddler is trying to keep all his toys ("Mine!") out of the reach of the baby and the dog, but finds in the end that sharing is more fun. Cute, cute, cute!

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is book is more for parents than kids, but little ones in the "mine" stage will have fun chiming along. An older sibling proclaims all toys his ("mine") when baby sister comes along to play. A charming dog saves the day and brings everyone together. At the end, baby sister has a "mine" of her own. Sweet!

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The text in this picture-book is so minimal that it could almost be considered wordless. But the art! The baby, toddler and dog just about jump off the page with exuberance! The expressions and movement capture the age beautifully. Humor and warmth jump off every page. I think it would be a fun family read for very young children.

[Catarina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was probably one the the sweetest children books I ever, ever read! It's simple, cute and the drawings are breath taking. As the description says it starts out by showing the "mine!", "mine!" faze that all children go trough but then it enters the magic of sharing and no words are needed for that. I adore it and I going to try and get a physic copy of it!

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mostly wordless picture book about a very young child who is under the impression that every single toy his sibling is playing with belongs to him. Sound familiar parents? After one toy lands in the dogs water dish, all of the toys end up in the water dish. Then the dog gets involved.

Quite humorous.

[Cierra Henderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very short worded book about a little kid who believes that everything is her's and refuses to share. It is very simple and for younger children. The illustrations are very washed out with not a lot of lines to them. I think little kids will find it funny because they can relate to the burden of having to share and just wanting to yell at everyone to leave their stuff alone!

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has two words in it: MINE and WOOF.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

MINE! is one of the only two words in this nicely illustrated playful story about sharing.