Shared Space

by Maddie Frost, Maddie Frost (Illustrator)

Overview

"A pleasingly humorous and harmonious tale." —Boston Globe–Horn Book

From beloved author-illustrator Maddie Frost comes an unlikely friendship story about setting boundaries! Shared Space tells what happens when messy Pak-Rat moves in next door to an orderly Mouse. Perfect for social emotional learning.

Mouse liked having his own yard. There was never a stick out of place. There was room to stretch. Room to move. But when Pak-Rat moves in next door, Mouse realized two things:

One: A neighbor meant sharing the yard.

Two: It was going to be a problem.

You’ll cheer for both Mouse and Pak-Rat in this hilarious story about honest communication, boundaries, and yes—friendship!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063246096
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	04/09/2024
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	209,051
Product dimensions:	9.90(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Maddie Frost is the author and illustrator of Chip Plays Grown-Up, her first I Can Read Comic, which introduces Chip, an engaging young penguin. She’s also the creator of the Wombats! graphic novels, Shared Space, Capybara Is Friends with Everyone, Let’s Draw Fun Animals, and Iguana Be a Dragon and the illustrator of Shine Like a Unicorn and many other books. Maddie lives in Massachusetts with her family.

Maddie Frost is the author and illustrator of Chip Plays Grown-Up, her first I Can Read Comic, which introduces Chip, an engaging young penguin. She’s also the creator of the Wombats! graphic novels, Shared Space, Capybara Is Friends with Everyone, Let’s Draw Fun Animals, and Iguana Be a Dragon and the illustrator of Shine Like a Unicorn and many other books. Maddie lives in Massachusetts with her family.

Editorial Reviews

01/29/2024

Mouse loves having the yard next to his tree stump apartment to himself—“There was never a stick in the way. Or a shrub out of shape.” But when neighbor Pak-Rat moves in, the newcomer, true to his name, brings a heap of belongings. In a series of paneled, thin-outlined cartoons, Frost (the Wombats series) shows how the stump’s expansive, carefully cultivated green lawn becomes filled with gnomes, flamingoes, pinwheels, wind chimes, a mini-golf course, and a bright yellow inflatable tube figure. Instead of negotiating with Pak-Rat, Mouse does his best to be polite before turning desperate, burying all the junk in the dead of night. When discovered, Mouse screams “THIS STUFF IS TOO MUCH!” and falls supine on the once-beloved lawn. But Pak-Rat is largely calm, caring, and cooperative, which leads Mouse to a three-part epiphany: “One: Having a neighbor meant sharing the yard. Two: It was still going to be a problem sometimes. Three: It also meant having someone to do stuff with. Which was a very wonderful thing.” Aligning with others may not always be easy, but Frost’s terrific comic timing and lovably offbeat characters hint that resulting friendships can be worth it—waving inflatable tube and all. Ages 4–8. Agent: Andrea Morrison, Writers House. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"A pleasingly humorous and harmonious tale." — Horn Book Magazine

From the Publisher

05/01/2024

PreS-Gr 3—Mouse in 2B of the tree stump duplex loves the tranquility and tidiness of his meticulously maintained yard, replete with room to stretch, move, and relax. One day, the ominously named "Lotta Stuff" moving truck pulls up to vacant 2A and Mouse's new neighbor Pak Rat unloads copious boxes of indoor and outdoor accoutrement. Mouse tries with all his might to ignore Pak Rat's ever-growing lawn ornament collection, but when the pinwheels, plastic flamingos, yard gnomes, and lawn inflatables multiply to the point of barely being able to see the grass, Mouse has to take matters into his own paws. Will Mouse and Pak Rat ever agree on the amount of "lawn flair" their shared space can handle? It turns out that dissent between reasonable rodents can be solved with a little bit of conversation and a lot of compromise. VERDICT This humorous and inventive comic book will entertain young readers and provide them a ready road map for conflict resolution and positive social skills.—Sarah Simpson

School Library Journal

2024-02-03
What would you do if someone dumped all their “treasures” in your yard?

Mouse loves having his own yard. The lawn is always mowed to perfection, and there’s never so much as a twig or a branch out of place. Mouse has room to stretch and play…until Pak-Rat moves into the other side of Mouse’s tree trunk condo and begins decorating the shared yard with pinwheels, feline garden gnomes, chimes, and a flock of pink flamingos. Mouse dislikes the new additions, but he tries to ignore the intrusion. Finally, he attempts to express his concerns, but Pak-Rat can’t hear him over all the noise his new decorations are making. One night, after Mouse reaches his breaking point, he digs a deep hole and buries Pak-Rat’s lawn ornaments. Unfortunately, Mole unearths them all. It’s time for Mouse to come clean to Pak-Rat, and they reach a compromise. They both learn that being neighbors means they need to share and be flexible—but it also means having a friend to do things with. Busy, colorful, digitally created cartoon illustrations vividly depict a timid, fastidious Mouse, a clueless, exuberant Pak-Rat, and an increasingly crowded yard. The detailed artwork will provoke laughter but will also provide opportunities for discussion. Plenty of sound effects and a few puns add to the reading fun.

A funny and heartfelt demonstration of the right and wrong ways to resolve conflicts and share space. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews