Mine! by Mathilde Stein

Illustrated by Mies van Hout. 24 pages. Lemniscaat, 2006.

Children who struggle to share may benefit from getting to know a more relaxed side of themselves – a part of themselves who resembles Charlotte in this story. Charlotte finds a little ghost in her room, and all the ghost will say is "Mine!" Charlotte always responds reasonably, showing the ghost ways that they can share (he can stay in her bed for a sleepover, but has to move over to make room for her and her bear) or showing him the disadvantages to him of not sharing (if he eats all the bread and jam, he won't have room for pie). When Charlotte refuses to play with the ghost because he doesn't know how to play cooperatively, he feels sad. He really does want to play with her. Charlotte teaches him games. The ghost tries to share, and isn't perfect at first. By the end of the day, they're working together toward a common goal - a meal of pancakes. But at dinnertime, a man from a nearby castle comes looking for a runaway ghost, and the next morning, the ghost is gone. Charlotte misses him, but feels better when he sends her a picture he's drawn of the two of them having fun together. Reading this story can help children who worry about sharing to understand that it's possible with practice, that it's fun, and that it can allow them to have real friendships.

Ages: 2-6
Cultural Context: European