A SPACE FOR ME

Brotherly love wins out.

Young Alex narrates his frustration with his little brother, Lucas. The boys share a bedroom, and Alex complains, “He takes my stuff and makes noise and plays on my side of the room, in my space.” Both boys have medium-brown skin and dark wavy hair. Their big sister, Emma, has her own room, and she resembles her brothers. She notices that Alex is upset and helps him create a space of his own outside. Alex is happy to play outside by himself until he notices Lucas gazing forlornly out the window. Alex can’t understand why his little brother isn’t happy to have their bedroom all to himself. Falwell’s colorful, textured collage art zooms in to capture the tender moment when Lucas tells Alex, “But I want to be with you.” The boys gaze at each other across the gutter from facing pages, the green of their bedroom walls now a lighter shade than in prior spreads, evoking a moment of peace and connection. Moved, Alex brings Lucas outside to make him a space of his own in their backyard, too. Closing spreads show the brothers playing together and alone, outside and inside, with illustrations taking pains to make it clear that although things are better, realistically, Lucas can still annoy his big brother sometimes.

Find space on the shelf for this sweet family story.