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BECKY THE BORROWER by Udo Weigelt

BECKY THE BORROWER

by Udo Weigelt & illustrated by Astrid Henn

Pub Date: Sept. 1st, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-7358-2205-4
Publisher: NorthSouth

Who doesn’t like toys? Becky really likes them—not only her own, but those of all her kindergarten classmates too. Eventually she realizes that, despite her best intentions of returning everything, she’s forgotten who lent what. This sparks both an uncomfortable dream about finding everyone at her doorstep with hands out and an inventive way of reuniting the toys with their original owners. Becky’s total lack of possessiveness gives the episode an air of unreality but also makes for a nonconfrontational way of bringing up the subject with children who might be hazy on the difference between “yours” and “mine.” Henn reflects this relaxed approach with pleasant scenes of a smiling Becky surrounded by also-smiling stuffed animals and other goods—plus other children who, even in the dream, look more puzzled than angry. (Picture book. 5-7)