Review by New York Times Review
CHILDREN tend to become what we expect them to be. When we envisioned them as vessels waiting to be filled with virtue, they made like vessels; nowadays we see them as consumers, and they fall into line, getting, spending and demanding designer gear. A couple of new books about brothers and sisters reveal expectations adults currently have of sibling relationships. In "Mail Harry to the Moon!" baby Harry's older brother is enraged when he cries, spits up or displaces him on Grandma's lap. Big Brother demands that Harry be thrown in the trash, flushed down the toilet or put back inside Mommy. Finally, on a double-page spread he screams, "Mail Harry to the Moon!" Then one morning Harry seems to have disappeared, so Big Brother decides he really has been sent to the Moon and sets off in his laundry hamper rocket ship to rescue him. Robie H. Harris writes of her inspiration for this book, "One day, I overheard a 4-year-old ask a family friend to take his baby brother back to Chicago with her." Kevin Henkee once said the seed of his book "Julius: The Baby of the World" lay in a similar remark, in which an older sister asked, "After the baby dies do I get my room back?" The opposite routes that these two authors took after such real-life incidents show something of our varied expectations of the family. Henkes softened the question to "After Julius goes away do I get my room back?" Harris intensifies the emotion, creating a seriously angry little boy. Her text is matched by Michael Emberley's pictures of a child with a deep frown and clenched fists. The book's turning point suggests that a tantrum results in a change of heart. This hopeful conclusion may reflect current child-rearing theory, but I still wouldn't leave Harry alone with his brother. Skipping ahead from toddlers to primary school, we meet Jake and his older sister, Abigail, in Judy Blume's "Cool Zone With the Pain and the Great One." The second in a series, this easy-reading story collection presents Jake (the Pain) in first grade and Abigail (the Great One) in third. In two years looms a significant power imbalance, and their relationship demands elaborate rules, record-keeping and negotiation. This isn't Blume's most nuanced writing. The stories are told from the alternating viewpoints of Jake and Abigail, but the voices are indistinguishable. Predictably, the siblings connect when they band together against a common enemy, but most episodes end with vexation. The sibling relationship here is largely one of rivalry and resentment. But Blume certainly knows her way around this age group. She knows that calling somebody a baby is such a powerful weapon that it needs to be rationed and that a substitute teacher can release the anarchic impulse in even the best-behaved soul. A story involving girls chasing boys across the playground and sitting on them shows Abigail in a rare vulnerable moment and balances her demanding, sarcastic streak. Big Brother just isn't wild about Harry in "Mail Harry to the Moon!" James Stevenson's pen and wash drawings also provide balance, along with warmth and personality; a few strokes and we can reliably distinguish between all four Emmas at Abigail's school. One squiggly smile line and we share Jake's pleasure in chewing on his toy elephant's ear. Stevenson also draws the best noses since William Steig. These two books, in which the problems of brothers and sisters are more vibrant and convincing than the pleasures, raise the question of what is essential about the sibling relationship and what is imposed by society. In "Sisters and Brothers: Sibling Relationships in the Animal World," Steve Jenkins and Robin Page present intriguing lore about termite families, bat twins and giant anteater singletons, in gorgeous cut- and torn-paper collages. We enjoy the unexpected grace of beavers swimming and the bulky power of grizzly bears. The text is straightforward, as the authors leave the human analogies to us. But who could resist? Hyena cubs will probably get along if they are brother and sister, but two brothers or two sisters often fight to the death. Young peregrine falcons learn to hunt through play, alternating roles of hunter and prey. Wild turkey brothers are lifelong companions. Adoption, mingled families, even the single-gender family - the variety of human families is nothing compared with the animal world. Sarah Ellis's latest book for young readers is "Days of Toil and Tears: The Child Labour Diary of Flora Rutherford."
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [October 27, 2009]
Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Most talk about animal families focuses on the parent-child relationship, but this riveting picture book, illustrated in Jenkins' signature style, is packed with amazing facts about how young animals nurture one other or compete for survival and leave home. Depicted in crisp, gorgeous, cut-and-torn-paper collages set against lots of white space, the subjects range from female African elephants that stay with the herd and help take care of their younger siblings, to two young grizzlies that grow up together, then fight one another until one must leave. Also pictured are millions of termite brothers and sisters, living together in a mound as tall as a four-story building. Readers will love sharing this, even if they can't sympathize with black widow spiders that eat their siblings. The sibling focus is a way to include a wealth of fascinating science, which is expanded in the detailed back matter that presents more facts about each animal. Children older as well as younger than the target audience will want to thumb through this fascinating picture book.--Rochman, Hazel Copyright 2008 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-4-Realistic, handsome cut/torn paper collages form a visual lure for this attractive book on siblings and young in the animal world. Only children (giant anteaters), quadruplets (armadillos), families (elephants), and armies (termites) are just some of the creatures depicted and described. Brief paragraphs provide factual information on their behaviors and physical characteristics, some of which are further detailed in the "Animal Facts" pages (though the parthenogenesis of whiptail lizards is not addressed other than to mention the absence of males). Enough data is afforded to satisfy many children, and adults are offered some further readings to suggest to the insatiably curious. Eye-catching, and with an interesting approach to the animal world, this book should appeal to a wide variety of ages and interests.-Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY (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.
Review by Horn Book Review
(Primary) In the latest Jenkins and Page collaboration, sibling relationships provide the context for a presentation of some fascinating animal facts and Jenkins's splendid cut-paper illustrations. It's a nice change to read about family relationships other than parent-offspring, and the new focus allows deeper explorations of the growth and development stages of animal life cycles. Of course, to young readers the appeal of comparing their own sibling relationships to those in nature is the big draw here. Those not too thrilled with their brothers or sisters may be happy they aren't termites, with millions of siblings to deal with, or sad they aren't black widow spiders, who eat one another. Adults may want to extol the model behavior of elephants, who help care for their younger siblings, or turkeys, who stick together for life. Among the book's coolest facts are that armadillo siblings are always quadruplets, perfect clones of one another; there are no male New Mexico whiptail lizards, only female; and, like bees, only the queen naked mole rat can have babies. Headings tucked away at the corners of the pages indicate the major behavioral, reproductive, and survival categories of relationships, while a brief phrase on each layout humorously sums up the main idea for each species. Additional facts, including measurements and habitats, are found at the back of the book. From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Choosing yet another child-friendly theme, Jenkins and Page explore sibling relationships in the animal world. Beginning with numbers of brothers and sisters and going on to the nature and length of the relationship, page by page they introduce varied species from around the world. Giant anteaters are only children, for instance; cichlids and myna birds may have stepsiblings. Grizzly bear brothers grow up fighting each other; peregrine falcon siblings practice hunting with each other. Jenkins's signature cut- and torn-paper images artfully spread across clean white pages with just a paragraph of text and label for each relationship. The creators of this intriguing survey include mammals, from elephants to mole rats, insects, birds and fish. Two pages of animal facts at the end add further information, usually the animal's size, where it lives and what it eats. These appear in the order established in the body of the text, but no page numbers assist the reader looking for something particular. This is an unfortunate but minor flaw in an otherwise splendid contribution, another winner from an accomplished team. (Picture book/nonfiction. 4-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
