Finders Keepers

Finders Keepers
William Lipkind and Nicolas Mordvinoff
Harcourt, Brace & World, 1951

One of the first books I thrifted for my son way back when was a beauty called The Tiny Little Rooster. It was one of his favorite books when he was super wee. Over the years, I've seen its companion book online various places, like here, but it wasn't until recently that we got our own copy.

The two authors have always been a mystery to me, so I loved this post by the fabulous blog, Collecting Children's Books, that chronicles of the making of the pair's first book, the Caldecott Honor winner, The Two Reds. The Horn Book blog also has a great interview with the legendary children's book publisher, Margaret McElderry, where she talks about collaborating with the duo. Later, with this gem, the pair received the 1952 Caldecott medal.

Yes. Here, we have a simple story of two dogs fighting over a bone and the legal question of possession.

"That bone is mine," said Nap. "I saw it first."
"It's mine," said winkle. "I touched it first."
A farmer drove by with a load of hay and his cart
bogged in a soft spot in the road.
"Let's ask the farmer," said Nap.

Ah yes, the two friends go through the barnyard asking the question... who does the bone belong to. Luckily, before the thing can be co-opted by another dog altogether, the a pair figure out that sharing is the best way to go. Always.

Also by:
The Tiny Little Rooster

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