How to Be a Baby . . . by Me, the Big Sister (How To Series) by Sally Lloyd-Jones
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Book Reviews of How to Be a Baby . . . by Me, the Big Sister (How To Series)
Book Review: Makes the older sibling feel good, but...
Summary: 3 Stars
This book definitely made my 3 year old feel better about being a big sister soon, but the book did get a bit negative about all the minuses of being a baby. That did prompt my daughter to say she will help the baby with all of those minuses, like helping eat the mushy baby food, and sit on her bike when he's big enough. Overall a good book to boost the soon-to-be older sibling's confidence.Book Review: Cute book, but long for a child.
Summary: 3 Stars
This book is cute and points out a lot of things that make the "big sister" special. However, it has several pages and is a long book. I'm not sure my 4 year old niece will be able to sit still through the entire book. I probably wouldn't have bought it if I had seen it in a store, but I am going to keep it and give it to her.Book Review: I don't like this book at all. And it's possibly dangerous.
Summary: 1 Stars
We just checked this out from the library. I really don't like it at all. The child narrator is a brat. The things she says are NOT things I would allow my older children to EVER say to my younger children. They are things that sometimes my older children do get off their chest to me, and I value that and think it's important. I respect their feelings and we discuss them. ALL feelings are valid. But not all feelings should be reinforced and reveled in and that is what this book is doing.
Also, the big sister proceeds to tell the baby that "when you go in the car... You don't even face the right way... I prefer to sit in a seat like a normal person." Extended rear-facing is safer practice. AAP states that babies should not forward face until 20lbs AND 1 year old, and I understand they are thinking of amending that to 2yo. Other countries regularly rear-face their children until age 4 or more. Most US car seats are capable of rear-facing to over 30lbs and Graco is soon debuting a car seat that will rear-face up to 40lbs. My oldest child happily rear-faced for over 4 years and my younger children are still happily riding the "wrong way" according to this book. Sadly, they have several peers that refuse to rear-face because of peer pressure, from the pre-school set, no less. Perhaps I should recommend this book to those peers, as it's right up their derisive alley.
Sorry to be mean to the authors, but I'm unhappy with this book's message.
Book Review: How to be a Brat
Summary: 1 Stars
I appreciate the point that this book is attempting to make. However, I really felt like it went too far. Can't we focus on how each member of the family makes a unique (and positive) contribution? Not in this book. In this book it is all about how the older sibling is superior to the younger one.
A few quotes to illustrate my point:
"When you're a baby, it's not good because you don't have any hair. (I have long hair like a princess.)"
"When you're a baby you don't have any real friends. (I have lots.)"
And, my personal favorite, a quote about riding in a car seat...
"You don't even face the right way. (I prefer to sit in a seat like a normal person.)"
This is NOT the kind of relationship I want to encourage my children to have with their younger siblings!
I think the author could have found a better way to acknowledge the fears that an older sibling has about the "baby invasion". Yes, babies are "strange" and different and a little funny (or scary) but the things they do are normal for babies. Why do we have to apply negative value judgments to them in order to feel good about ourselves?
I skipped over large sections of this book while reading it to my daughter and I'm glad I got it from the library because it will be going back immediately!
Book Review: AWFUL!
Summary: 1 Stars
Would not recommend. The book is too long to keep the kids interest. My children were bored with this book because it seemed to be the same type of thing over and over. NOT GOOD.