Synopsis
Even bullies can learn to share. The text is simple and the characters are animals so the bullying theme is non-threatening. Ages 3-7
Children's Literature
No one in the jungle will share. Elephant orders Hippo out of the pond and as Elephant is much bigger than Hippo, he splashes out of pond leaving Elephant to bathe in peace. In turn Hippo orders Lion out of the path; Lion orders Leopard out of the grass; and Leopard orders Monkey off the branch of the tree. But Monkey's Mama has some very good advice. "Son, you have to stand up to bullies. You go back to Leopard and you tell him there's enough room for two on that branch." Monkey does just that. "Don't you tell me what to do, this tree's big enough for two. Share it with me as a friend, don't be mean to me again." Leopard agrees and in turn confronts Lion with the same words who then speaks to Hippo who, with all the animals behind him, tells Elephant that the pond is big enough for two. In fact, "big or little, large or small, this pond's big enough for all." The colorful double-page illustrations and the recurring refrain make this an ideal read-aloud and a good introduction to a discussion of sharing.