I'm a Big Sister Lap Edition

by Joanna Cole, Maxie Chambliss (Illustrator)

Warm, loving pictures accompany this upbeat look at how a family grows when a new baby comes home. A companion volume to I'm a Big Brother.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Family, Parenting, Fiction, Family Life

28 pages, Board Book

First published April 25, 1997

About the author

Joanna Cole, who also wrote under the pseudonym B. J. Barnet, was an author of children’s books who teaches science.

She is most famous as the author of The Magic School Bus series of children's books. Joanna Cole wrote over 250 books ranging from her first book Cockroach to her famous series Magic School Bus.

Cole was born in Newark, New Jersey, and grew up in nearby East Orange. She loved science as a child, and had a teacher she says was a little like Ms. Frizzle. She attended the University of Massachusetts and Indiana University before graduating from the City College of New York with a B.A. in psychology. After some graduate education courses, she spent a year as a librarian in a Brooklyn elementary school. Cole subsequently became a letters correspondent at Newsweek, and then a senior editor for Doubleday Books for Young Readers.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes, this was the first book that I read in September of 2013. How exciting, right? RIGHT. I read it to my kitten, Jonathanne, before adopting a second kitten, so that Jonathanne would know I still loved her even though there was going to be a new baby in our house.

Yes. I'm that kind of crazy. It's okay.

You can run away now.

[Crissyʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book! I bought it for my 2yr old daughter when I was expecting my second child. She loved looking at the photos and knew that the baby in my belly was the one in the book and she was the little girl. She once even wanted to wear a tiara so I dressed her just alike!

[Leonie · Rating 5 out of 5]

We've been rocking this book for the duration of my pregnancy and my small person, now almost two and about to become a big sister in a couple of months seems completely on board with the whole big sister deal. Of course, it's still only an abstract concept for her...

My criticisms of the book would be that only bottle feeding is represented and the American 'diaper' is used instead of nappy (easy enough to edit as you read).

[Madison Pickett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Multiple versions of the book and some versions the character looked a lot like me. I remember reading a book similar to this one which I identified as the main character because I have a younger sister myself.

[Ruth Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect book for the about-to-be big sister!

[Audric the Illiterate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought I’d approach the topic of siblinghood from the perspective of another gender.

[Maegan Isip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Just, wow. Such a heavy book. Excited to be a big sister now.

[Zedsdead · Rating 3 out of 5]

Identical to I'm a Big Brother but with the word 'sister' swapped in for 'brother'.

[Annabel Pizzata · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read my 3.5yo daughter lots of books to prepare her for her baby sister’s arrival, this one was the best and covered all the points I wanted to get across. We have continued to read after the baby was born to reinforce the messages. I recommend to all big-sisters and big-sisters-to-be!

[Leigh Nida · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rhaeanba says, "This book was good. I could read almost all of this book myself. I am a big sister. I am 7."

[Sadia Mansoor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is adorable! I'm also a big sister ^_^

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joanna Cole has a real knack for quickly engaging the interest -- and trust -- of a toddler. I've also come to admire (from reading two of her other books) how much information she can pack into a picture book... and without causing readers of any age to break a sweat.

HERE'S A SAMPLE OF THE AUTHOR'S WAY OF BRINGING CLARITY

Excellent quote from Daddy:

Daddy says, "Babies cry
to tell us something.
Let's see what's the matter."

How reassuring he is!

AT THE END, THERE'S AN EXCELLENT "NOTE TO PARENTS"

To me, this final page of the book suggests that the author isn't only a parent but she has ample experience with helping other parents (and their kids) to make a good adjustment when adding a newborn to the family.

ALSO, WHAT DO I REALLY-REALLY-REALLY LIKE?

As a fan of picture books, I've read many titles aimed at the older child. Much of the book consists of venting by that older child, but by the end the child adjusts and expresses love for the cute new replacement. (Erggg. I mean baby.)

None of that is included here. Instead, the emphasis is practical rather than emotional or psychological. And the final page of the story is just plain excellent, both true and important.

Not only am I going to rate this book at FIVE STARS. "I'm a Big Sister" is going onto my shelf for HIGHEST PRAISE. You see, Goodreaders, I can't imagine a better book on this topic.

[Ashlyn Ewert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be a good book to read to children before they become a big sister. It talks about how the big sister is helping her parents with the baby and how little the baby is. The illustrations in this book are also engaging for children with the use of bright colors and using items that children enjoy like ice cream. At the end of the book their is a note to parents about ways to help your child adjust to being a big sister.

[Fatima Seraj Alam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will make a great gift for those toddler girls who have just become big sisters and grappling with emotions of jealousy as everyone fusses over the new born and feeling of overwhelming love to the little one. My three year old flat out refused to have another sibling so this book wasn’t applicable to her 😜

[Cara Byrne · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a little sibling coming in a couple of weeks, this was a great book to help introduce the concept to my 2 1/2 year old. She loved pointing to the "baby!" on each page and laughing about all of the things the baby was doing.

[Peyton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that promotes being comfortable with having a new sibling. There is a boy version of it too.

[Kathy Nealen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very short book illustrating what it is like to have a new baby at home and how to be a big sister.

[Jude]

Hemingway could NEVER

[Kelly Chester · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book

[Kelly Chester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

[Samantha Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute story about being a big sister

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A best case dealing with new sibling insecurities.

[KaitandMaddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s the classic for baby being born.

[Anna Balch]

Great to get a window into a new perspective!

[Ashley Bonifield · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very sweet book with beautiful photo’s, but I wasn’t wild about the odd baby talk tone.

[Blair · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish my child would act right so I could make her a big sister 😆❤️

[Poppy Thorpe · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a gorgeous book for our Soph as she gets used to her new role! Really helpful and beautifully illustrated.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for kids who arr big sisters

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Joanna Cole and this book was a big hit with my tutee! Students love feeling any sense of ownership and grown up responsibilities. This books gives credit and speaks to how big of a “job” it is being a big sister. She helps feed and watch her brother, which makes her parents happy. Her parents also make sure that she knows she is special and valued as a child as well. They give her tasks to help out so that she does not feel left out or less important than her little brother.
As far as craft, specificity is used well by Cole to represent the girl speaking first hand, or from the “I”. She is able to communicate through a child’s eyes and really be relatable to children. This craft is difficult because the storyline must be stuck to and you must know the character you are embodying. I think Cole used specificity in order for children who are reading I’m A Big Sister to really know what that role feels like or to find similarities to the main character if they are already in that role as an older sibling.
I would definitely use this in a classroom setting at the beginning of the year as a morning meeting or get to know you activity so that I can learn more about students’ families and show them I am interested and care for them. This will create a learning community that I want as well as a responsive classroom.

[jacky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this at Target. It looks like a pretty good book for celebrating becoming a big sister. The gender of the sibling is neutral, so it makes it adaptable for all new siblings, excepting twins. This book really focuses on the good things about being a sister of a newborn. It mentions that babies cry a lot, but focuses on the child's ability to help figure out why. A large portion is also focused on how the first child is still special, including the new role of sister. One draw back, the sister gives the baby a bottle, which could be contradictory if exclusively breast feeding.

As I said, a good book to celebrate, but not so much educate.