If you have a sibling; read this book.
356005
This is a story of sibling rivalry and the hurt it causes. The characters are well drawn and believable. The message is timeless and poignant without being "preachy."
3792590
Great book for siblings!  My boys love this book and we read it often in preparation for their new brothers arrival.  I did change the wording a bit as I was seeing a midwife instead of a doctor and birthing at a birth center-easy adjustment!  The book is a great explanation of pregnancy in realistic but kid appropriate language.  It talks about the cord (stump), nursing, and how an embryo grows.  Very cute story too!  Good baby shower gift for a little brother to be!
594743
I thought it was a good idea to borrow several books from the library about a new baby in the house.  I was surprised how many of the books I checked out were terrible. They talked about loving the baby more, or putting mom in the trash can.  This is not one of those books! It is a great introduction to the idea of having a baby brother.  It mentions the good with the bad, like maybe knocking over your blocks or getting in the way.  But it also teaches that he is just a baby, and he learns from his older siblings.  My favorite part is where it says "and if he grows up watching all that you do, surely he'll be amazing for he'll be just like you!"  We loved it so much we bought it!
3445853
This is an important book if you have a special needs child approaching the age of 18, or you are currently caring for an adult child with special needs. I wish I'd read this book when it came out. As a parent of adult twin sons with autism and intellectual disabilities, I felt an immediate connection with the author. The book is written in an easy language. Like you're sitting across from the table from Gloria and she's telling her story. The reason this book is important is that it explains thoroughly the dangers our adult children can find themselves in. And it also makes very clear why parents should be guardians of their adult children with special needs. I highly recommend this book.
1227091
This book is one of the best. Very well written with a lot of positive reinforcement for the little big sister. It elevates the status of the big sister, makes her feel important and makes her want to be a big sister. This is in stark contrast with the other books that are out there which induces feelings of neglect on the part of parents and jealousy on the part of the big sister. My daughter was 20 months when she had her baby brother, she loved to read this book then. Now she is 4 and still loves to read this book. There is a version for big brothers too.
4805919
Excellent book for kids (and parents alike!) to get a better understanding of what it's like to have a family member with special needs. The perspective is uniquely told from the younger sister who shares what makes her sad, frustrated and most importantly, happy and proud of her older brother with autism. We can all learn a lot from this wise little big sister.  We are looking forward to the sequel.
2578880
A great example of the the loyalty and strength of siblings.
4652962
A cute lesson about compromising between sisters that all families should read to learn from. Siblings always seem to struggle with sharing and deciding what to do, understandably so as each knows how to express their own opinion.

This tale addresses that issue and a couple of options on how to make everyone happy.

Be sure to read this book to understand you do have options as a parent and teach your children they can make a choice that works well for both or all of them.

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland
513194
I enjoyed the book, and really wished that I had a sister to share it with!
Our book club read this, and really related to the idea of birth order and how it helps to form personalities.
3478539
Few books are 'perfect', but this is reeeealy close. The story of a young boy accepting his new baby brother is heart warming and opens the door for small children to see themselves and talk about how they might be feeling about a new sibling. It's just the right language for the little ones. But what I like the best are the illustrations. They are adorable; so detailed but simple (if that makes sense). Just got on to buy one for a little boy who will soon have his own little brother soon. I think he'll get a kick out of it, even though it's a little young for him.
4600365
My 7 year old has special needs and love anything that she can share with her older sister.
Reading a book is the best thing to do together.
4903855
My brother recommended I read this. So I did. I had to own my own copy, so bought it. Read it again. Decided I wanted my Dad to read it, so bought and sent it to him.

This book is incredible. So many gems that can mean many different things to many people, but regardless, all won't regret ever picking up this book.
4691949
This might be best for a big sister age 4 or older. In any case, if you don't have a sense of humor, don't buy the book! There are plenty of older sibling books out there that are just about how wonderful it is to have a new baby in the family. But most of them are not realistic and can cause feelings of guilt in the older child if she doesn't completely adore the new arrival right away.

If you read the ENTIRE book, it's clear that it addresses the mixed emotions that practically every older sibling has when a new baby arrives. And the whole point is that it's OK to have these mixed feelings, but in the end, it's often fun to have a little brother or sister -- the older sibling has a lot to teach the younger one and can look forward to having a live-in playmate as the baby grows up. My older child loves this book and realizes that it's supposed to be funny.
73926
{My thoughts}  Have you ever read a book and thought to yourself  I can really relate to this on so many different levels? This was one of those types of books for me. I seriously thought I might have stepped into the pages of a book that were so similar to my childhood that I had to keep reading just to see if it had a better outcome. I wouldnt wish this type of situation on anyone and the author wrote it so incredibly well that it would appear they too have had some type of experience in this kind of situation or they did some really good research for their book.

Annabelle is one of three children. She has an older brother and a younger sister. Her older brother is gone from home as much as possible as a means of dealing with the situation. Her younger sister doesnt really know how she deal with it because she doesnt really know anything else. When it comes to Annabelle she knows that the situation is wrong and she tries her best to keep things that shes able under control, but it doesnt always work out that well for her. Sometimes  things still tend to get a bit more on the bad side.

Within the pages of this book is an incredible story. Its a story about a girl that is lost in a mess that her mother created. Its about a father that chooses to ignore his surroundings for no other reason then its easier for him. A brother that tries to be gone as much as possible and a sister that cries in her sleep because shes scared of what might or could happen to them or their mother.

I highly recommend this book for any child that has been stuck in a situation similar to this one. It does get better, it can get better. It helps for the child or children to know that it isn't their fault, that they didn't do anything wrong, that they didn't cause it and that with help the situation can be turned around. They also have to know that it takes time to correct and work through all the things that have caused the issues, the problems, the mess. It all takes time.
2372311
Good sibling dynamic - anyone with sisters can probably appreciate all their perspectives.
4253391
My sister has had trouble with her 9 year old son since he started school.  I have always been against drugging kids and had managed to keep her from giving in to the school system for a long time.  Recently her son had been having even more and more behavior problems in school.  The pressure was on to drug her son because the school "authorities" were telling her that it would help him.  I had just read Kevin's book so I begged her to read it before she made any decision.  I had been telling her for years my viewpoints on what she should do with her son, but it fell on deaf ears.  After reading this book, she promised me she would not let them drug her son and she is actively seeking out natural cures and reading other books on alternative solutions.  There's one kid less who will be drugged and that was worth every penny I spent on the book.
2169783
What do you do if you want to change your brother-or sister-into a frog? In this funny and imaginative story by Kevin McNamee, young readers get to take a look at sibling rivalry in a silly way.

A young boy decides to change his annoying brother into a frog, which makes everyone mad. When he tries to change him back, he finds it's not so simple. Suddenly his brother is a very big duckling, then a chicken. They have to make it through many more animal changes before the boy learns something about his brother and about himself too.

At first I really wasn't sure where McNamee was going with this story. Then as I moved further along and saw how this annoying brother, now in animal form, is helpful to the boy, I realized the subtle message the author relayed with his silly story. Yes, siblings can be pests at times, but they also can do nice things.

Alexander Morris provided the artwork for this book. I like how he managed to capture the brother's face in each animal once he was changed.

I've enjoyed every one of McNamee's books that I've read, and My Brother the Frog is no exception. He knows how to reach kids right where they are with fabulous books and unique storylines they'll enjoy. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.