Brother Loves Me/Sister Loves Me

K-Gr 3–This short chapter book is formatted to have two sets of stories—starting from one side, it’s all about brothers, and starting from the other side, it’s all about sisters. Three separate stories on each side combine to six stories in all. They have similar morals delivered via personified jungle animals as the characters, with strong messaging about kindness within families. The first story is about a monkey who is excited to have a new baby brother, but is then disappointed when the baby cries a lot. The mother monkey tells the older sibling that saying nice things to the baby will make him happy, and it does. This is indicative of how overly simplistic the themes are. In one, “A sister will always give you good advice and help you be the best you can be.” In another, “A brother’s love is priceless! He cares for and protects his family.” The stories are short enough that even emerging readers will be able to manage. The artwork is cheerful and engaging, but the perfectly positive interactions in the stories will run counter to some family experiences.