Shake the Tree! by Chiara Vignocchi, Paolo Chiarinotti, Silvia Borando (review)

In this Italian import, a single nut hangs high in a tree, and Mouse really wants that nut. She tries to shake it down, but instead of the nut, a fox falls out of the big green crown. "I'm going to gobble you up!" it cries, and Mouse scurries up the trunk to hide. Fox tries to shake Mouse down from the tree, but out falls Warthog, and into the tree goes Fox. Next comes Bear, who shakes everyone down from the tree, and who makes off with the prize in a twist that will have everyone giggling. Spare prose and simple art set a rhythm for each episode, as ever-larger animals come crashing down from the tree in a flurry of leaves, and the vertically-oriented spreads turn horizontal when the newcomer threatens to devour the tree-shaker. Don't expect kids to sit still for this one; they'll be eager to "shake, shake, shake" with the tree until the next animal falls down. SS