Review by Booklist Review
Poet Antrobus (Can Bears Ski?, 2020) offers a heartwarming picture book that delves into the complexities of sibling relationships with empathy and creativity. The story revolves around a little brother wearing hearing aids who idolizes his older sister; he wishes to emulate her in every way, while she longs for independence. After they argue, readers get a glimpse into the little boy's world as he seeks solace at his drawing desk, where his vibrant sketches of horses come to life. Through his imaginative stories of "terrible horses," where he is the lone pony, he finds a means of expression. As tensions rise between the siblings, the book escalates toward a poignant depiction of their quarrel, which beautifully echoes the whimsical, bold style of the boy's horse drawings. The boy's stories not only serve as an outlet for his emotions but also provide a window for his sister to understand his inner world. This artful picture book celebrates the power of storytelling as a bridge between siblings, showcasing how creativity and understanding can mend even the most tumultuous relationships.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A child with brown skin who wears hearing aids narrates this acutely felt story about sibling conflict. Loosely stroked mixed-media spreads by Wilson-Max show the child standing alone clutching a teddy bear: "My sister is cooler than me. I want her friends to be my friends. I want her things to be my things. She wants her friends to be her friends. She wants her things to be her things." The siblings fight: "PUSH HURT PULL HIDE/ We do not use our words." Retreating to their desk, the narrator creates stories: "I am a pony," they write. "Everyone else in the world is a horse." They describe the horses' "terrible trampling, their ghastly galloping," while kinetic line drawings show the horses galloping off the page toward the reader, and the pony alone under the stars. When the sister finds the younger's work, reconciliation follows, and a flash of insight draws them closer. Antrobus sees and validates the anger and wounding that erupts during fights and offers, at the end, hope and connection that feel real. Ages 3--7. (Apr.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Older/younger sibling conflicts are faced head-on, thanks to a herd of horses. A younger sibling has an older--and much cooler--sister. "I want her friends to be my friends. I want her things to be my things," the child tells us. But "she wants her friends to be her friends. She wants her things to be her things." When the two fight, the younger child retreats and writes "stories of terrible horses." They say horses are the most difficult thing for an artist to draw, but if that's the case, then no one told Wilson-Max. His horses careen across the page in magnificent colors, hooves blazing, hair whipping in the wind, always leaving one small pony behind. After another fight, the child retreats again and writes about the horses, with "their terrible trampling / their ghastly galloping / their nagging neighing." Only when the sister sees the book firsthand do the two come to a kind of accord. Antrobus takes a universal conflict and deftly synthesizes it to its most essential parts. Words and pictures work in tandem, expertly speaking volumes with minimal text. The children are brown-skinned; the younger one uses hearing aids. Both big and little siblings will see a bit of themselves in this exquisite equine-saturated tale. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
