Annie and Simon

Review by Booklist Review

Annie is a girl about 5 or 6; her brother, Simon, seems to be around 15 (although with no parents in the book, he might be confused with Annie's dad). In this simple book, designed for emergent readers, Annie and Simon show that a sibling relationship can be strong even when the age span is wide. In the first chapter, Annie decides to be a hairdresser, with unfortunate results for Simon. In the second, the pair goes on a canoe trip, and in the third Simon knows what to do when Annie is bit by a bee. In the final chapter, brother and sister watch for falling stars. Watercolor paintings that catch the fun (and sometimes annoying moments) of the relationship take up about half of each page. Obviously, O'Neill wanted to focus on the sibling relationship, but it's still odd to have no adults about, leaving Simon always in charge. Even so, families that have both older and younger children will see themselves here.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2008 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by School Library Journal Review

K-Gr 2-Annie is an active, excitable young attention seeker. Simon is her unflappable teenage brother who sets aside his books and guitar to share adventures with her. He's patient to a fault, untangling her messes and gently humoring her endless chatter and questions. There's never any doubt that he loves his little sister, and the watercolor illustrations support his feelings. The two are seen snuggling on a towel after Annie causes their canoe to tip over, and he carries her home after they watch shooting stars in the park, her head on his shoulder. Annie's frenetic pace is right on for a young child, but the something special here is Simon. How many big brothers would make it rain with a garden hose so a little sister could use her umbrella? With four short chapters and colorful illustrations on every page, this book should appeal to fairly competent beginning readers.-Kelly Roth, Bartow County Public Library, Cartersville, GA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Review by Horn Book Review

A little girl and her big brother, accompanied by their unruly dog, experiment with hair styling, paddle their canoe, cope with a bee sting, and watch for falling stars. Thanks to the well-crafted dialogue between determined Annie and her long-suffering big brother, each episode comes to an eminently satisfying conclusion. Numerous watercolor illustrations provide both siblings with distinctive personalities. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

Talkative, inquisitive preschooler Annie and her much-older brother Simon are a good team. Annie wants to be a hairdresser, and Simon has hair in need of dressing. Annie wants to see a loon, and Simon can pilot a canoe. Annie desperately wants a rain shower, and Simon figures out how to give her one. Even after a disagreement over Annie's "special drink" concoction, the two remain best friends as well as siblings. O'Neill based the characters on her own daughter and stepsons, and the basis in fact shines through; Annie and Simon's four stories collected here will ring true for most newly independent readers. The watercolor illustrations of the two and their bark-full dog Hazel are full of humor and detail. Each story also has a touch of nature information. O'Neill's first solo effort in some years is well worth adding to the first-chapter-book collection. (Fiction. 5-7) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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Annie tickled Simon's foot with her green comb. "Yoo-hoo, big brother! Guess what I've been doing?" Simon looked up. "What, Annie?" "Fixing Hazel's hair," said Annie. "When I grow up, I'm going to be a hairdresser." Simon looked at Hazel. Then he turned a page. "There's an idea," he said. Annie combed the hair on top of Simon's head straight up. She combed the sides straight out. She patted the back down flat. Annie looked at Simon's head. "Can I fix your hair, Simon?" "My hair?" said Simon. "Hazel hardly has any," said Annie. Simon stopped reading and sat up. "My hair doesn't need fixing, Annie." "It does, too, Simon. Hold still." Annie laid out the cards. "My turn," she said. Annie picked up two cards and put them back. Hazel jumped up and licked Simon's hairdo. "Hazel, lie down," said Simon. Hazel didn't. Simon picked up two cards and two cards and two cards. "She'll listen to me, Simon. Hazel, LIE DOWN!" said Annie. But Hazel didn't. "There," she said. "Now you look pretty." Annie held up a mirror and showed Simon his new hairdo. "Holy cow!" said Simon. "Now let's play cards," said Annie. Soon Annie's hair was all done. And it wouldn't come undone. "Eeeeeek!" said Annie. Hazel leaped and barked at Annie's hairdo. "HAZEL, LIE DOWN!" said Annie. But Hazel didn't. "Hey, I won!" said Simon. "Let's not play cards," said Annie. "You know, Annie," said Simon, "if you're going to be a hairdresser, aybe you should give yourself a new hairdo." Simon went back to reading his book. Annie picked up the comb. She combed her hair up and down and all around. "Hey, this is fun," she said. "Lord love a duck," said Simon. "It really is stuck." Simon twisted Annie's comb a little this way and a little that. "Ouch!" said Annie. "Maybe I won't be a hairdresser, Simon. I could be . . . a baker." "Huh," said Simon. "There's an idea." "Can I have a cookie, Simon?" "What's up?" asked Simon. He came over to have a look. "Annie, what have you done?" Annie pulled her sweater over her head. "I wound up my hair and it's all stuck." "Let me see," said Simon. Annie took the sweater off her head. "There," said Simon. "Now you have your old hairdo back." Annie held up the mirror to see. Then she tapped Simon's head. "Simon, Simon, look! Hazel's lying down!" "At last," said Simon. "Here, Annie. Have another cookie." Simon found a pair of scissors. "Hold still, Annie. I'll cut the comb to bits." "Aaaaaagh!" said Annie. One by one, Simon snipped off each tooth of Annie's comb. He wiggled the comb a little this way and a little that. Then he pulled the comb from Annie's hair. Annie and Simon munched on their cookies. "You know what, Simon?" "What?" Annie scratched Hazel's tummy. "When I grow up, I'm going to be a dog trainer." Simon took a bite of his cookie. "There's an idea," he said. *************** ANNIE AND SIMON by Catharine O'Neill. Copyright (c) 2008 by Catharine O'Neill. Published by Candlewick Press, Inc., Cambridge, MA. From the Trade Paperback edition. Excerpted from Annie and Simon by Catharine O'Neill All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

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