Estelle and Lucy

by Anna Alter

Sometimes it's hard to be big. Sometimes it's hard to be little. Lucy wants to be like Estelle. Estelle wishes Lucy wouldn't copy everything she does. But their mother knows something for which they are both exactly the right size. Hooray for sisters of every age, Anna Alter's stunning debut as an author-artist -- and raspberry biscuits!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

24 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2001

About the author

Hello!

Thanks for visiting me on goodreads.

Please visit my web site or blog to learn more about my work!

Cheers,
Anna

Reviews

[Sandie · Rating 2 out of 5]

My daughter and I were not thrilled with this story...but the ilustrations are nice. My daughter (5) said that Estelle was kind of bratty to Lucy and that the best thing about the book was the pictures.

Lucy is a mouse and Estelle is a kitten....they live with momma cat and the book starts off with them mixing dough to bake into cookies I think it was. Anyway....the whole book seems to center around Estelle and how she is bigger then Lucy and can do all this stuff that Lucy can't because she is bigger. Finally Momma Cat says she thinks Lucy is the right size for a picnic. Lucy doesn't have much of a part except to get put down in a childish way by Estelle for being to small.

But I really did like the pictures.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for young siblings

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty pictures, but nothing about the story is captivating or makes me want to read it again.

[Khari · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book didn't live up to its blurb.

It needed to be longer so that it would have a point, it just kind of trailed off in the end. It says it's about how sometimes being big is good and sometimes being small is good, but it never gives any of the good sides of being small, it just has the mother give big and small biscuits. A great disappointment. If I were a kid I would be extremely frustrated by this book, because it doesn't actually end, it just...stops.

The mother in her dress reminded me of Beatrix Potter's work...but the story and the art just didn't hold up to that paragon of children's literature. All in all a great disappointment.

Story: Half of a narrative, no idea where the other half went.
Art: Cute colors, sometimes strange proportions
Price: $14.95

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

When big sister and little sister don't get along, what will help?

First let's get one thing straight.
* Little sister Lucy is a mouse.
* While big sister Estelle, and their mother, are both cats.

Mom "solves the problem" by giving her daughters sweets.

ON REFLECTION

Evidently this book was designed for readers who believe in sweets as the cure for all ills. Likewise this book was designed for readers who put into denial the most obvious thing about a problem.

For your sakes, I'll make this a FIVE STAR book.

Then I'll walk into the sunset, scratching my head in perplexity. Surely, there's a picture book for everyone. This particular book doesn't have to be for me.

[Katherine C. Hirstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

[Sarah Limb · Rating 1 out of 5]

I treated my younger sister this way growing up and I did not like how there was no resolution or lesson taught. Just LOL we have big and small biscuits.

[James Zaksek · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slightly boring and disappointed about the ending. This could have been a lot better.

[Taylar Brooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would be good for K-2nd grade. It explains and shows a little sister wanting to be like her big sister. I could relate to the story. I didn't have a big sister. But I had an aunt and cousin that were a few years older than I was. And I wanted to be just like them. Beautiful and independent. So I would copy some of the things they would do. Just like Lucy would with Estelle in this story.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author made a choice I really like in this story. One character is being "difficult" and bragging about her abilities over the younger sister. Instead of a harsh discipline by the mother, the mother has a soft (almost as if she's paying no attention--but she is! In fact with wisdom and love for both Estelle and Lucy) and effective teaching moment.

[Sharlet Mullen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story take you through the growing pains of siblings as the younger one really wants to be like the older child and does everything the same. In the end they come together with the help of the mother over something they both love.

[Alice]

older/younger siblings

[Elle Belle · Rating 2 out of 5]

cute story for siblings, for children when mom is expecting a new baby, for comparisons of big and small. I love the gorgeous illustrations by Anna Aller.