WHAT ARE SISTERS FOR?

Koala sisters and lots of questions characterize this sweet sibling story.

Little Bea is one inquisitive koala, and her big sister, Ada, has all the answers—until she doesn’t. This moment of mild crisis doesn’t arrive until several spreads first establish Ada not as a know-it-all but as someone with a big imagination who finds creative ways to respond to Bea’s incessant queries. A typical exchange, conveyed in speech balloons, reads, “ ‘Where do shooting stars go?’ ‘They fall to the ground, obviously.’ ‘So where did that one go?’ ‘Hmm, I guess that would be somewhere in the jungle.’ ‘And what happens then?’ ‘They sprout from the ground as starberries.’ ” Bea latches on to this particular response and wants to find said starberries, so off to the jungle the sisters go. The gentle watercolor cartoons are akin to Kevin Henkes’ mouse books in feel, which should assuage any readers’ fears that grave peril awaits the sisters in the jungle. They do get lost, but only long enough for Ada to have a tiny breakdown about being unable to answer Bea’s questions or to find their way home. Bea isn’t worried, though, and, following her lead, Ada calms down quickly. A little more exploring provides them with a fun discovery before they do return home, safe and sound, relationship strengthened. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Storytime fun for sisters—or for anyone, really.