Finders Keepers by William Lipkind (1952 Caldecott winner)

Finders Keepers by William Lipkind

While this is a much older book, it still holds a valuable lesson about sharing over greediness. Two dogs find a bone, and spend much of their time arguing over who the bone belongs to. They ask for advice from several passers-by and never get an acceptable answer to the question. After all, Nap saw it first, and Winkle touched it first.

A farmer, a goat, an apprentice barber, and another dog are all asked their opinions, but the four that are questioned have their own ideas and plans, so the dogs don't get any answer worth receiving. In fact, the results put the two dogs in a worse position than when they started. (Especially when the other dog ends up with the bone.)

The story is clever and engaging and the art is appealing to young eyes. It does anthropomorphic characters correctly (animals with human characteristics) because the dogs seem like dogs. They are fighting over a bone, and they have simple reasons why that bone belongs to them.

So what can you do with this book in your classroom? Well, I would suggest:

• Predictions about which dog will get the bone, and which one deserves it.
• Talk about the deals that the dogs are making. Are those good choices?
• Have you seen dogs fight over something? What was the result?

As always, there are plenty of other ideas that you can use, so go crazy with it.

Next week is 1952 review. I'll be looking at a couple of honor books for 1952, and consider if the committee made a good choice. 1952 Caldecott Honor book-Feather Mountain by Elizabeth Olds, and Charlotte's Web by E. B. White.