Big Sister and Little Sister

Rating:
Summary: Precious and Timeless
Review: I own a hardcover edition of this book that was given to me over 30 years ago and inscribed on the inside by my kindergarten teacher. At the time, I was struggling with the little sister blues. Today, I read the very same book to my son's kindergarten class, and watched sixteen angelic faces react with a mixture of empathy, sorrow, and finally relief to the heartwarming story. The ensuing discussion was all about how they each love their siblings. I went online to see if I could get one of these for the class, since I won't part with my own. A great tale to tell as the kids go home for holidays and vacation!

Rating:
Summary: a story for all sisters
Review: I remember checking this book out of the library when I was 6, and thinking that this story must have been written for me and my little sister. We even looked like the girls in the book! I rediscovered this book recently, and found that the story rings true with me today, just as much as it did in 1977. I think anyone who has a sister could relate to this beautiful story.

Rating:
Summary: THE BEST BOOK EVER!
Review: My mother read this book to me many, many times in preparation for my little sister's birth. I still think of it every time my sister (now 25 years old) gets on my nerves. It really taught me that, even though she could be annoying, that we both truly loved each other and could depend on each other no matter what...If you have a daughter and are expecting another one soon, you have to get this book!

Rating:
Summary: Feed the literary impulse
Review: This is perhaps one of the greatest picture books ever written, and is much, much more than a tool for assuaging sibling rivalry in two girl families. With a perfect ear for read-aloud prose, and a finely balanced sense of the perspective of a child, Zolotow invites the youngest listeners to savor the pleasures of literature.

We are introduced to big sister at the outset, who always takes care of little sister. But the heart of the story lies in little sister's small act of rebellion on a day when she grows tired of big sister always telling her what to do. Although the story is nominally about a little sister learning from her older sister such that "the two of them can take care of each other", it is the heart of the story that moves this tale out of the usual wretched and formulaic child's self-help lesson and into the realm of true literature. For not only does little sister run away from big sister, but when big sister comes calling for her in the meadow, little sister doesn't respond at all. Not only that, but we get a full two pages of little sister's quiet, existential reflections on the nature of being alone and in pondering what she has just done. This is the true heart of the story. How can a reader/listener not respond to the willfulness of little sister's unkindness, and yet fully understand the joys of being alone and feeling the grass under your knees while bumblebees buzz overhead? It is in identifying with these conflicting and ambiguous feelings that the young reader feels, perhaps for the first time, a frisson of bittersweet pleasure that will hook them on the joys of reading good books for life.

Of course little sister finally relents after she sees big sister break down and cry, but thankfully Zolotow doesn't give an adult resolution to the story. The answer to big sister's reproach, "Why did you run away?" is immaterial, and lemonade is the order of the day.

Rating:
Summary: Feed the literary impulse
Review: This is perhaps one of the greatest picture books ever written, and is much, much more than a tool for assuaging sibling rivalry in two girl families. With a perfect ear for read-aloud prose, and a finely balanced sense of the perspective of a child, Zolotow invites the youngest listeners to savor the pleasures of literature.

We are introduced to big sister at the outset, who always takes care of little sister. But the heart of the story lies in little sister's small act of rebellion on a day when she grows tired of big sister always telling her what to do. Although the story is nominally about a little sister learning from her older sister such that "the two of them can take care of each other", it is the heart of the story that moves this tale out of the usual wretched and formulaic child's self-help lesson and into the realm of true literature. For not only does little sister run away from big sister, but when big sister comes calling for her in the meadow, little sister doesn't respond at all. Not only that, but we get a full two pages of little sister's quiet, existential reflections on the nature of being alone and in pondering what she has just done. This is the true heart of the story. How can a reader/listener not respond to the willfulness of little sister's unkindness, and yet fully understand the joys of being alone and feeling the grass under your knees while bumblebees buzz overhead? It is in identifying with these conflicting and ambiguous feelings that the young reader feels, perhaps for the first time, a frisson of bittersweet pleasure that will hook them on the joys of reading good books for life.

Of course little sister finally relents after she sees big sister break down and cry, but thankfully Zolotow doesn't give an adult resolution to the story. The answer to big sister's reproach, "Why did you run away?" is immaterial, and lemonade is the order of the day.