To elaborate narratives, toddlers are dependent on adult co-construction. Both children and teachers make meaning and learn together. This article examines what themes toddlers introduce in mealtime conversations in preschool. The object of analysis is 39 toddler-initiated co-narratives constructed by toddlers and teachers in 15 videotaped meals during a case study in Norway in 2003/2004. (In Norway children from one to six years old attend preschool.) The results unfold variations of co-narratives about important life themes. Emotions not only influenced what was said and how it was said, they also constituted issues in children's lives. The stories were about anger, fear, loss and desire. The utterances and voices in the co-narrations bear a polyphony of cultural meaning. (Contains 2 notes.)