OH BROTHER! by Alberto Pellai & Barbara Tamborini and Elisa Paganelli-OPTIONAL

OH BROTHER! by Alberto Pellai & Barbara Tamborini, illustrated by Elisa Paganelli. PICTURE BOOK. Magination Press.  2020. $15. 9781433832437.

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE: LOW

A little boy just gained a new baby brother. He is not sure how to feel about this new addition. He is frustrated because the baby cries a lot, and takes all of the parents’ attention. The parents explain that everything they now do for the new baby, they once did for the little boy. 

Short and to the point. When the young boy is speaking, the text is orange. When the parents are answering him, the text is in black. I did not realize this pattern until halfway through the book, and was therefore quite confused through the beginning. I do not appreciate the rude attitude the young boy demonstrates. I understand that the purpose of this book is meant to relate to children who are feeling out-of-sorts with the addition of a new sibling, however, if I were looking for a book to help transition my child, I would hope for one with less negativity. I feel that if they wanted to validate a child’s feelings, and then guide them to more positive thoughts, it likely would have been better to have a little more character development. I do, however, appreciate the Reader’s Note at the end of the book that is written for the parents and is full of great counsel and advice for the parents.

Reviewer: AR/SL