THE YOUNGER BROTHER’S SURVIVAL GUIDE

A little brother dispenses general principles and admonitory advice for getting along—or at least even—with a big sister. From switching glasses when she offers a funny-tasting “Mystery Shake” to thinking twice about running outside wearing only underwear, it all has a distinct flavor of actual family history—reinforced by Kopelke’s incorporation of old snapshots into one of her big, simply composed cartoon scenes. Patricia Polacco’s My Rotten Red-Headed Older Brother (1999) may be stronger on cozy family feeling, but along with such intriguing suggestions as the possibility of blowing bubblegum bubbles out one’s nose, this does portray a rambunctious togetherness that emphasizes the adventure of a sibling relationship over its traumas. (Picture book. 6-8)