• Age: 4 to 7
• Grade: k to 2

Two competitive cousins are in for a surprise as they fight to find the perfect fruit

On an island vacation with their auntie, cousins Tee and Dee set out to find mangoes to make smoothies. As the best of friends, but also the worst of rivals, the girls see everything as a competition, and they immediately begin to argue about who can find the perfect mango first.

But it’s not long before a different treasure ignites their competitive spirits. The girls race to outdo each other in gathering some beautiful dark, round, shiny pebbles … until they notice a goat producing dark, round, shiny pebble-shaped poops! Together, they burst into laughter over the icky treasure they had been chasing.

Packed with atmospheric details that evoke the sights and sounds of island life and inspired by a memory from the author’s own early years, this playful take on childhood rivalries prizes friendship and laughter above fighting and competing.

TAMLA T. YOUNG is an author and award-winning educator, who lives in Toronto, Ontario, with her partner and two children. Like Tee and Dee, Tamla and her cousin once fought over beautiful “pebbles” in Jamaica!

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RAZ LATIF has contributed to numerous publications including Chickadee, The New York Times, The Globe and Mail, and Scientific American. Odd Couples is his debut as a children’s book illustrator, but it definitely won’t be his last. Raz lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Raz Latif's profile page