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Little Brothers Are...
Little Sisters Are...
Author and Illustrator: Beth Norling
Reading level: Ages 0-3
Paperback: 24 pages
Publisher: Kane/Miller Book Pub (March 1, 2008)
Language: English



I'm wrapping up my "Books for Expectant Siblings" week with a pair of books that are just perfect for big brothers and big sisters. Part of Kane/Miller's Toddler Tales series, Little Brothers Are... and Little Sisters Are... describe little brothers and sisters using fun adjectives and equally fun illustrations featuring big brothers and sisters with their younger siblings.

Here's an excerpt from Little Brothers Are...
"Little brothers are wriggly, bubbly, naughty, and scared." The illustrations that span four pages show:

• A little brother trying to wiggle out his brother's arms to reach a cute little dog below him (wriggly)
• Another little brother blowing big bubbles with his adoring big sister (bubbly)
• Another little brother pulling a cat's tale (Naughty)
  
• The same little brother jumping into his big brother's arms and being chased by the cat whose tail was pulled (Scared)
  

You can expect the same format in Little Sisters Are...:
"Little sisters can be tiny, cuddly, smelly and sad." The illustrations include:

• A tiny newborn baby sleeping (tiny)
• A big sister lovingly cuddling what looks like the same baby (cuddly)
  
• A big sister holding her nose as a little sister with an obviously heavy and stinky diaper approaches (smelly)
• A little baby girl reaching out and crying (sad)
  

Both books end with the same sentiment. "My little brother/sister is my best friend. I love my little brother/ sister."

I really like these books first because they're funny. Kids will get a kick out of the illustrations and some of the funny adjectives used to describe little brothers and sisters. They'll also probably be able to relate to many of them. The books also convey the positive message that even though little brothers and sisters may sometimes be a bit of a pain, you still love them. This may definitely help children who are adjusting to new siblings in their lives.

You can also use these books to help teach about adjectives and even work with your child to come up with your own descriptions of younger siblings.


The books are also available in Spanish. Visit Kane/Miller's website for more information.

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This came through this morning,

I was just wondering if you had seen this yet. It popped up on my friends page and I wasn't sure how you would feel about your work being used in this manner. I would think someone should have asked you.


http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/8339/4db8fa6df104decb060a885nc0.gif

and I clicked and saw


that someone had taken the contest in Sandman 4 and set it between the Democratic Front Runners.

(Click on the link above to see it run through its course.)

Given that permission on this isn't mine to give or withhold (DC Comics owns Sandman, after all) I honestly don't mind at all. I think of me twenty years ago phoning the late Gytha North and picking her brains for the opening ("Do we want warrior to wolf or warrior to deer?") while writing a comic I figured would probably be cancelled by the end of its first year*, and it just makes me smile that it's a well-known enough sequence that someone would use it for political stumping.



* Yes, I know people think this is me being modest or something. It really isn't. Sandman was never really a huge commercial hit, and even when it was successful, it was often successful under the radar. A quick Google threw up The Overstreet Guide for 1992 quote that's talked about in this blog entry about what was considered successful for the long term health of comics and what wasn't. As Overstreet told the world back then, people buying multiple copies of X-Force #1 was what comics was all about, whereas,

"A Sandman push with T-Shirts, statues, trade paperbacks, a glow in the dark cover and other promotional gimmicks did little to produce long term additional interest in the title."

Or as a comic store employee explained to me back then, the problem with Sandman was that people bought it to read, and they couldn't be persuaded to just buy lots of copies as investment items.

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