It's Big Sister Time!

February 15, 2021
In social worker Ahuja's picture book, a well-worn topic--the arrival of a new sibling--gets a multicultural twist. As the book opens, its young dark-skinned protagonist resists the new baby. "Baby's loud. Baby's messy. Sometimes Baby really smells," she narrates. She then decides that "baby doesn't know the house rules yet" and proceeds to induct the new baby into the ways of the family. In these spreads, Echeverri's playful illustrations subtly reinforce this interracial family as Black and South Asian: Mom wears a dupatta during family movie night, and Grandma and Grandpa make rice pudding with their granddaughter; like the protagonist, Dad is illustrated as dark brown, but his black hair is tightly curled while hers is straight; the new baby is painted light brown like Mom but has Dad's hair texture. As is common in this genre of books, the protagonist grows to accept and love her new sibling, her rules moving from restrictive to playful and inclusive. "The last and most important rule is, no matter what, we stick together," she explains. "Because... / we're a team now." This good-hearted title is one of two concurrent releases from Ahuja; It's Big Brother Time! is the second, which is nearly identical but depicts the family as Black and East Asian. (This book was reviewed digitally with 6.5-by-13-inch double-page spreads viewed at 33.1% of actual size.) A sweet debut that offers a tongue-in-cheek instruction manual for new big sisters. (Picture book. 3-5)

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