Big Sisters Are the Best (Fiction Picture Books)

It's definitely one of my daughter's favorite books now. We're not expecting for a few more months, but the book introduces our daughter on what she can expect when she does become a big sister! Cute book!

We purchased a couple of big sister/sibling books, and of the ones we did, this was was one of the favorites for our 2-year-old. Simple text and pictures that talk about what babies do and what big sisters can do.

I used this book to announce that I was expecting for the second time. My daughter was holding the book and she enjoys looking at the pictures and I enjoy reading it to her. Perfect for a new big sister!

Like another poster mentioned- not all babies drink from a bottle and not all big girls sleep in a big girl bed. Cute book but not a fan of those parts or how short it is. It will do for a Christmas gift from my 3 month old to her big sister....

Decent story, but for the nursing mommas, this book strictly says the baby eats from a bottle. A little disappointed in that. Wouldn't recommend for that reason, unless I knew the mother used bottles.

[This review also appears on Andi's Kids Books.]

In Big Sisters Are the Best by Fran Manushkin, the little girl telling the story has a new baby in her family. She explains the differences between being a baby and being the big sister and how she can be a helper to her parents. For young children who are about to become the older sister, these are important points to understand. Some of the help that the big sister offers is playing quiet board games or doing gymnastics outside so that they baby can sleep. It's hard when Mom and Dad are busy with the baby, but she has her own baby doll for which she can care. When the baby is settled, she can still have some of that quality one-on-one time with her parents. She looks forward to when her baby is older and can also play with her.

I like that this book gently acknowledges that sometimes it can be hard for the big sister when her parents have to spend time with the baby, instead. Even though she knows they had to do the same for her when she was a baby, it is still a big change. I like that she offers advice on ways that a big sister can help. I also like the subtle reminder to parents that it is important to make some special time for that older child. So many times it is easy to get caught up in the baby's immediate needs that you forget the older sibling needs a little TLC, as well.

Because the characters have no name, it is easier for the reader to imagine herself in the situation of having a new baby. The illustrations make the baby look like a boy, but no reference to the baby's sex is made. Again, that makes it a more relatable story for the reader.

The story is short and sweet. The illustrations are darling. This is a book that families can enjoy with their children again and again.

I received a preview set of galleys from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

I bought this book to help my toddler daughter get used to the idea of becoming a big sister very soon. While there are plenty of good messages about being a big sister within this book, I was not impressed overall. My main beef with it is some of the family values do not match up to my own, and I felt that those differences would confuse my daughter. Case in point: "Little babies drink bottles. Big sisters eat cupcakes!" I plan on exclusively breastfeeding and figured its omission from this story would confuse my daughter, and I hate the line about cupcakes with my impressionable toddler. If you are a breastfeeding or co-sleeping family, don't bother with this book.

I tried to purchase this book and accidentally ordered the "Kindle Version." I have not opened or downloaded it. I immediately ordered the physical copy and tried to cancel my e-version. It would not let me.

This is an uplifting and fun book, that will surely make many new big sisters smile. That being said, not every big sister sleeps in a big girl bed yet, and not every baby drinks milk from bottles. My "big sis" is still in her crib, and I breastfeed exclusively. The bed thing isn't that big of a deal, as it isn't hard to just say "you'll be in your big girl bed soon!". As for the bottle feeding, that can be explained too, but it would be so nice to find a book that illustrates BOTH bottle and breastfeeding babies, to include a broader audience. This isn't a knock on bottle feeding, btw. Just a heads-up to other exclusively breastfeeding mamas that there is absolutely no representation of it in this book.