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MY LITTLE SISTER AND ME

Name: MY LITTLE SISTER AND ME
Author: Maple Lam
ISBN: 978-0-06-239697-6

by Maple Lam ; illustrated by Maple Lam ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 10, 2016

Lam’s words and drawings offer tangible evidence to the intangible love between siblings.

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For the first time, a boy walks his younger sister home all by himself.

Big brother is proud of his newfound responsibility: walking his little sister home from the school bus stop. He takes his duty very seriously as he tries to keep up with his sister’s boundless energy. The narrator keeps a watchful eye on little sister as she picks up trinkets, chases dogs, and hides from squirrels. Even though he thinks the trinkets she collects are trash, he doesn’t discourage her curiosity. He thoughtfully answers her many questions. The siblings stop for a quick game of medieval knights, dueling with tree branches. Little sister slips on a puddle when their walk is interrupted by a thunderstorm. Big brother soothes her and they make it home after the storm passes. Lam captures the earnest relationship between young siblings. Her soft-colored pencil-and-watercolor illustrations flow with little sister’s energy. Young readers will relate to the siblings’ animated reactions to each part of their walk. Her characters’ simple facial features are boldly expressive with just a few lines. Asian-American Lam’s siblings and mom are black-haired and golden-skinned, though their physiognomies are ethnically ambiguous.

Lam’s words and drawings offer tangible evidence to the intangible love between siblings. (Picture book. 3-5)

Pub Date: May 10, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-239697-6

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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MONKEY KING AND THE WORLD OF MYTHS
by Maple Lam ; illustrated by Maple Lam

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MONKEY KING AND THE WORLD OF MYTHS
by Maple Lam ; illustrated by Maple Lam

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DIM SUM, HERE WE COME!
by Maple Lam ; illustrated by Maple Lam

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WHAT WILL YOU BE, GRANDMA?

by Nanette Newman & illustrated by Emma Chichester Clark ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 28, 2012

Ideal as a beginning exploration of fantasy or as a discussion starter about future careers.

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Little Lily asks her beloved grandma, “What do you think you’ll be when you grow up?”

The conversation that results from this turnabout question is full of wonderful imaginings and earnest wishes that will enchant many young readers. As Lily dreams up possible vocations, Grandma always replies with a gentle response that is ever respectful of her granddaughter’s suggestions. Perhaps Grandma could “grow wings and fly around the world…[o]r become an artist and paint rainbows on children’s faces…[or] a gardener and grow flowers that never die,” or even “a fairy with a magic wand who stops rooms from getting messy.” While Newman paces the text with a steady flow of quiet yet enthusiastic dialogue, it is Chichester Clark’s detailed illustrations in watercolor and pencil that truly shine. This grandma is not a stout gray-haired lady but a spunky, lithe, bespectacled brunette who happily takes part in every flight of fancy—sometimes decked out in feathers or looking quite fetching in everything from butterfly wings to a wizard hat—until it is time for bed. Young readers will take the cue from this slightly silly tale and enjoy coming up with their own ideas for what their grandparents or other family members might grow up to become.

Ideal as a beginning exploration of fantasy or as a discussion starter about future careers. (Picture book. 3-5)

Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2012

ISBN: 978-0-7636-6099-4

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Templar/Candlewick

Review Posted Online: June 19, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012

Categories:

CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
THERE'S A BEAR IN THE BATH!
by Nanette Newman & illustrated by Michael Foreman

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WHO'S THERE?

by Carole Lexa Schaefer & illustrated by Pierr Morgan ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2011

Make room for this one—with its spot-on characterization, humorous details and wordplay, this stands out even among the...

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Schaefer and Morgan have again paired up (Kids Like Us, 2008, etc.), this time bringing readers an emotionally expressive and linguistically playful book about nighttime fears.

BunBun is an exuberant young rabbit who has no problem going to bed. But once he’s there, he hears noises down the hallway. With Boo, his bear, he is initially able to brush aside his fears, but as the noises get closer, he dives under the covers. His overactive imagination envisions the nasty creatures that must be creeping toward him. It might be a “Crusty Dumply Ogre, / with gnarly curly toes,” or it could be a “Grimy Gooey Ghoulie / with a snuffly droozly nose.” BunBun’s reactions mirror those of a small child—hiding under the covers, freezing in fear with heart beating madly. And the noise? Just his little brother come to check out the noises he heard. Courage restored, BunBun is able to act the part of protective big brother. Schaefer masterfully plays with language both in lines that often rhyme and in invented words that could feasibly have come straight from a young child’s imagination. And Morgan’s ink-and-gouache artwork perfectly captures this. Her portrayal of BunBun’s imaginary monsters are just silly enough not to spark fears in readers.

Make room for this one—with its spot-on characterization, humorous details and wordplay, this stands out even among the crowd of similar books. (Picture book. 3-5)