Ruffles and the Teeny Tiny Kittens

Ruffles is a playful puppy, who just like every young child, experiences all of the ups and downs of daily life as he learns about the world around him. There seem to be lots of things that he likes and lots that he does not and at first the kittens are something he does not like! They pounce and purr and snore and jump and poop. Ruffles just about tolerates these actions but when they want to play with Big Blue Blankie, Ruffles does not want to share.

This was something that our Nursery and Reception children were able to relate to and through Ruffles we were able to discuss the reasons behind the refusal to share. We talked through the idea that this reaction is not necessarily bad but stems from a sense of protection over one's own toys and belongings that they care most about. As the story develops, the benefits of sharing come to light.

For a cohort, some of whom during to recent life events have had limited experiences of sharing, this was a great story to explain how sharing toys opens up opportunities for playing and making friends.  One of the children in Reception said that the kittens were like his twin siblings who were now crawling and wanted 'everything that he had'. This opened up further discussions about younger siblings and upcoming additions to the families of some of our children. Although the kittens are frustrating and annoying at first by the end of the book Ruffles learns that 'playing is so much more fun when you share'.

Picture Book / Reviewed by Samantha Hughes 

Suggested Reading Age 3+