Brothers are for Making Mud Pies

by Harriet Ziefert, Chris L. Demarest (Illustrator)

It’s fun to play hide-and-seek with a brother, or build a fort, or jump in puddles. You can make a brother laugh, play baseball together, and keep each other company when Mom and Dad go out. A brother is a lifelong friend. Sisters and brothers alike will enjoy lifting the flaps of this adorably illustrated book, brimming with cheerful, colorful art, to see all the ways a brother is special.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, Family

16 pages, Paperback

First published July 9, 2001

About the author

Harriet Ziefert grew up in North Bergen, New Jersey, where she attended the local schools. She graduated from Smith College, then received a Masters degree in Education from New York University.

For many years, Ziefert was an elementary school teacher. She taught most grades from kindergarten to fifth grade. "I liked it," she said, but she stopped teaching when she had her own sons. When her children were older, Ziefert wanted "a bigger arena" for her work. She went to work at a publishing company, Scholastic in New York City, developing materials for teacher's guides for kindergarten language arts and social studies programs.

"About twelve years ago," says Ziefert in a 1995 interview, "I tried to get a job as an editor, but no one would hire me as a trade editor. So I decided to write my own books." Since then, she has written several hundred books, mostly picture books and easy-to-read books. "I write books very quickly," she says, "in about twelve hours. I rewrite them three times over three days, and then they're done." She writes about twenty books a year.

Reviews

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up for my grandson as he’s going up be a big brother next year. This book is so sweet!! I love that it’s the perfect size for little kids and the pictures are bright and not too busy. I had to laugh at some of the issues that were brought up in the book as they brought back memories of my own childhood with relatives. “ You can sit on a brother.” “ A brother can sit on you.” and “ “You can wrestle with a brother.” These were the ones that made me laugh.

There are numerous instances where having a brother is great in this book and both a brother brother and a sister explain why in this book. The flaps that flip up are secured tightly for rugged use which makes Puffin snooks a favorite of mine. I know my grandson will enjoy this one.

[Bailey Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute book that lists all the reasons brothers are awesome.

[Melissa Namba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute and portrays an ideal older brother relationship

[Alan Winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute for anyone who has brothers. Nice to read to kids at bedtime.