I read an English translation, after having seen both Yuru Yuri and Oomuro-ke as anime. Each chapter is a little slice-of-life scene, and there were a few laughs but overall, I prefer the anime.
What I enjoyed most was the illustrated, hand-written diary by the youngest sister Hanako, which was the bonus section at the end. I enjoyed it very much, and it had more page-turning momentum than the regular chapters. If you've seen the anime, you might want to find this bonus and also take a look at the bonuses in other albums. Bonus 93.5 is about dubbing the movie in Japanese, and bonus 105.1 is rough sketches of the various manga covers. They chose to use the school uniform on the volume 1 cover, to make clear it was a YuruYuri spin-off.
There were a few Japanese cultural tidbits in it:
- p. 26. Sakurako sneezes (superstition says it is because someone was talking about her). - chapter 11 - asking if someone is cute vs pretty is a way of asking about their age. - bonus pages - Teru teru bouzu (figure you make to keep the rain away).
Here are the main topics of the chapters in volume 1:
1 - missing ice cream. Only time we see the mother in the manga. 2 - ink moustache 3 - Focus on older sister Nadeshiko. Who did she say "I love you" to? 4 - Focus on younger sister Hanaka. Her classmates admire her. 5 - Absent-minded Sakurako 6 - Feeding a friend. We see a childish side of Nadeshiko. 7 - Hanako is sick, and we see a caring side of Sakurako. 8 - About spoilers. 9 - Hanako has a rival 10 - About ring tones. I laughed out loud. 11 - Had some funny faces 12 - About hand-me-downs, including a shirt that was stretched out because Sakurako predictably stuck balls in them to imagine herself as full-chested. 13 - Cooking. 14 - Styling hair. 15 - More rivalry involving Hanako. Had to laugh when her classmate claimed she couldn't reach because she was "shorter than usual today." 16 - Nadeshiko can be just as bratty as Sakurako! She slapped two friends! 17 - Sticker book pranks. 18 - Planning a beach visit 19 - Nadeshiko's friends consider getting jobs. 19.5 - Hanako's diary.