children's graphic fiction (diary/letters drawings format)
sweet, thoroughly enjoyable narrative of a big brother growing more attached to ( and less annoyed by) his baby sister. Kids will love the quick-paced diary format and will find the story and pictures humorous and relatable. ( )

A boy addresses a series of letters and illustrations to his baby sister to form his own sort of "baby album" for her. When she is born and he is aged 8, these tend to be a place to vent his annoyance at her crying, etc. By the time he finished the book at age 18, he has grown to see the value of his sister.

This is a very sweet book in the end, although it begins by expressing what a lot of older siblings must feel towards their younger siblings (frustration, rivalry, etc.). For that reason, I think kids will identify with the narrator when reading this title. It's also a quick read, with pencil handwriting and drawings that perfectly mimic the narrator's abilities throughout the 10-year span. ( )

A boy writes letters to his sister from the time she is a baby until he leaves for college. They start out as crude charcoal drawings, complaining about the sister being whiny, stinky, and loud; a typical baby. The two grow together, weathering arguments and illnesses, life changes and new challenges. Finally, the story ends with the brother leaving his sister all the letters he's written her and permission to use his treehouse as he sets out on his new adventure in skillful line drawings in black and blue shades.

The art is the main attraction of this story. From scribbly drawings of an annoying baby sister to "progress reports" on her whining abilities, to two exasperated tween boys stuck with a lively sister and her best friend at the movie theater, the art conveys the annoyance and exasperation as well as the growing affection between the siblings.

Verdict: This is a quick read with lots of pictures, it's humorous and touching, but ultimately it felt more like something that an adult would pick up than a child. It has a nostalgic flavor for the joys and sorrows of childhood and the bond of siblings that most kids won't appreciate until they are leaving home probably. Still, it's a sweet story and the heavy illustrations may appeal to some readers.

ISBN: 9781481451420; Published October 2018 by Atheneum; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

Dear Sister by Alison McGhee (with illustrations by Joe Bluhm) was a happy accident. It happened to be returned while I was working at circulation and when I flipped through it I was intrigued enough to check it out for myself. The book is written in a series of letters and drawings from a boy who has just been saddled blessed with a baby sister. His parents want him to write to her so they can put it in her baby book but he has his own ideas of what to write. From the start, his letters and drawings are quite hostile and he makes a point of saying that the 'wardens' have forced him into contributing. Their relationship is typical of an older sibling who has no interest in catering to an annoying, screaming infant/toddler/preschooler. Their age difference is about 8 years which explains a lot of the animosity. He always refers to her as 'sister' because the name he had picked out for her (and which wasn't used) was so good that he'd hate to slip up and call her that because then she'd be sad that it wasn't her name. This is one of those perfect little books that shock you when you realize they're not more in demand. It felt totally authentic and the illustrations were absolutely fantastic. They were a mix of childlike drawings which aged up with the character and a few realistic looking pencil drawings from a third person standpoint. The whole story is heartwarming and the ending was so sweet that I actually cried. What a great little book! 10/10

A/N: I discovered that Joe Bluhm illustrated one of my favorite William Joyce books The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore and now I'm on a mission to find more of his work. No wonder I liked the drawings in this so much! XD ( )

Shelf Awareness newsletter

This sweet story will resonate for many older siblings (and maybe give some insight to younger ones). A boy is not thrilled by his little sister's arrival, nor by her baby behavior, nor by her toddler antics. His letters and notes to her begin to take a grudging turn in tone as they both grow, and by the time they are facing milestones like her first time at summer camp and his leaving for college, they are clearly there for each other. ( )