My Big Brother - Hardcover

Cohen, Miriam

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1595720073 ISBN 13: 9781595720078

Publisher: Star Bright Books, 2005

Synopsis

Like most children, the narrator of this story idolizes his grown-up
older brother. So when big brother leaves for the army and tells the boy he must
be the man of the house, he has some very big shoes to fill. A powerful book that speaks of family bonds and responsibility.

About this title

About the Author

Miriam Cohen is an avid champion of the emotional rights of children. Her stories ring true because she spends many hours in classrooms reading, listening and talking with children. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Ronald Himler attended the Cleveland Institute of Art where he majored in painting and illustration. He began his career as an artist of books for children in 1972, and since then he has illustrated nearly 400 books and book covers. He has received more than 35 awards, nominations and citations of excellence.

Reviews

Kindergarten-Grade 3-In this quietly compelling story, a boy idolizes his older sibling and tries to imitate him in everything, from learning basketball to helping to fix his old car to giving their mama compliments. Because college costs too much, the big brother joins the army, resulting in feelings of pain and loss for the family members left behind. However, the narrator carries on, helping his younger brother shoot baskets, complimenting Mama on Sundays, and trying to fill the huge void left by his eldest sibling's absence. The spare, heartfelt text is eloquent in expressing the characters' feelings of pride and sadness. The soft, watercolor illustrations complement the narrative perfectly as the members of this African-American family try to continue with their routines, cope with the absence of a loved one, and hold on to one another until he returns. The last page, showing the sad boy leaning on his brother's car with the text, "I miss him," is powerful in its understatement. This book addresses a universal theme and will have meaning for many families struggling to fill voids of their own.-Jane Marino, Bronxville Public Library, NY
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*Starred Review* PreS-Gr. 2. This begins as a portrayal of brotherly love, with a much older brother showing his younger brother (perhaps seven or eight) how to play basketball, how to wash a car, how to treat their mama right. The story takes a turn, though, when the older brother goes into the army ("college costs a lot"). The younger boy takes over the "older brother" role by showing his little brother how to do the same things and more. Together with their mother, they make cookies to send their older brother and look at the photograph of him in his uniform. Told in the middle brother's voice, the story sounds matter-of-fact. But, somewhere between the lines of text and within the lines of the illustrations, this quiet picture book packs a strong emotional wallop. Himler's artwork, pencil with watercolor washes, sensitively depicts each character's emotions through body language and facial expressions. The family is African American, but the emotions and experiences are universal: loving one another, learning to show that love, growing into new roles, and longing for absent family members. A particularly timely piece. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Star Bright Books
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1595720073
• ISBN 13: 9781595720078
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Himler Ronald
• Number of pages: 40