In this tale about living an uncluttered life, a magpie is dejected because he has no possessions. A friendly mouse offers him a marble, kicking off a collecting binge in which the magpie steals dozens of items, among them keys, broken sunglasses, coins, and combs. He eventually has so much junk of his own that he has to build nests upon nests to hold them all. By the time the mouse shouts, "Enough!" it is too late. One of the nests collapses, with the magpie in it. The mouse sets him free, and the magpie learns a lesson about how many possessions are really necessary - and how much stuff is "much too much".
More manages to make its point in simple terms without moralizing or becoming preachy. The spare text (only one or two words per page), combined with the richly detailed, lifelike illustrations, brings the story to life. As a bonus, many kids will enjoy discovering and identifying all the items in the magpie's nests.
Pre-K, EL. ESSENTIAL. Reviewed by: Caryn, Library Media Specialist.
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