Just Me and My Little Brother (Little Critter) (Pictureback(R))

My boys (6 & 4) love "little critter" books and this is another one. It's another cute and sweet story to add to your collection. It's just basically about what he would do with his little brother once his baby brother isn't a baby any more.

I'm so disappointed with the content of this book. It reinforces gender stereotypes, and unhealthy behavior but the worst of the outdated and racist mention of playing cowboys and Indians. I do not recommend this book for any parents.

Prolific author/illustrator Mercer Mayer certainly does have the touch for producing books for the little ones. This one has kids between three and seven years old as the target audience. His drawings of his 'critters', the goofy, love-able creatures in his stories, make young and old smile, and he writes a story too!
And he writes a good story. The older brother speaks about and the illustrator draws about the many adventures that the two brothers embark upon. They bravely protect a little girl from a bully, the eat like kings at a birthday party, they play and the older brother always stands ready to teach, protect and watch over the younger brother. They are brothers. They are the very best of friends.
And on the last page we discover that the younger brother still hasn't learned how to walk, every adventure is a projection of the future.
So we have an important story well told about getting along in a family situation. We have drawings that amuse and inform. And we have a sudden change of direction on the very last page that makes us laugh and think. This is as good as it gets. This book appears under the Golden Look Look Book imprint and will help the little ones become interested in words and reading.

Mercer Mayer, Just Me and My Little Brother (Golden Press, 1991)

My favorite of the Little Critter books are the ones with the fantasy aspect, where Critter is imagining what life will be like after some milestone is hit. Just Me and My Little Brother is one of them, with Critter daydreaming about all the fun things he and his little brother will be able to do once little brother is big enough to do any of them. It's gentler than most of the Little Critter books, calmer, and (for me, anyway) more fun to read. Bean seems pretty fond of it, as well. *** ½

I bought this book when I first started showing with baby number two, and my firstborn loved it. I knew I was having another little boy, so this book was perfect for our situation. He still loves to read it! The illustrations are vibrant, the text is easy to understand, and it is a quick read! We have a lot of the Little Critter books, and my son loves each and every one of them. Also check out "The New Baby" by Mercer Mayer. That baby is a little girl, and my son loved it just as much as this book. I recommend both to get the firstborn child accustomed to the idea of a sibling on the way! We also enjoyed Kevin Henkes "Julius, Baby of the World" to get our son ready for the new arrival. They are all wonderful books.