Customer Reviews

Big Brother, Little Brother

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Allow me to preface this review with the statement that I am not some extremist or member of PETA. I also am not overly strict with my son (who is 2 1/2)- he is allowed to watch Spongebob, dinosaur movies and Disney movies as well as Nick and Nick Jr. That being said...

I got this book today in the mail through a program with our library where each child in our county gets a book free every month up to the age of 5. (thanks Dolly Parton!) Usually the books we get are great, however I too have a lot of problems with this one.

First of all, giving the frog a bath on the cover- we are trying to discourage killing critters in our yard by squashing them or tossing them into the kiddie pool. Washing a frog in soap would probably kill it, if not it would certainly be torturous.

Second of all, there is a photo where one brother is pulling the other's pants off and his underwear is completely exposed on his rear end. I would be mortified if my son got the idea from this book and started doing it to kids in the nursery at church or on the playground.

THEN there is the page where one tells the other to tug the dog's tail so that the dog will pull both of them on their skateboard. We have a new puppy, who will soon outweigh my son. I must tell my son once every 10 minutes to stop maiming the dog in one way or another, he needs no positive reinforcement to antagonize the dog. That alone is a great way to get bitten- especially if some kid tried it with a dog they were not famililar with!

Also there is a page where the boys are eating what looks like donut holes. One kid has 1 the other has a handful. The one with the handful taunts the other kid because he has more. I realize this is a situation that will arise in real life, but it would be nice not to TEACH our kids from the start to be selfish and braggarts.

And I almost forgot the page toward the front where one brother tells the other that worms taste like chicken and to eat it. Again, I am teaching my son not to squash worms just because they are on the sidewalk, but my real problem with the book is that I don't want my kid eating worms! I can barely get him to eat chicken, I certainly don't want him associating it with worms. (I will teach him how to fish with worms though!)

On the positive side... the book does feature a number of multi-cultural boys, and has 2 nice little pages about adopted brothers. That I found to be sweet. The graphics in the text were neat and the photos where the boys are being kind to each other (and animals) are good.

So, I do realize that boys will be boys, but there is not need to teach them those things, I am sure they will learn it in their own time. As parents it is our job to teach them to be kind to each other and animals. Testosterone and peers will teach them the rest!

Don't judge the book by its cover. Cute rhymes and illustrations. My 4 and 6-year-old grandsons like it a lot. It does make them laugh.

My son absolutely loves this book.

We received it from a book of the month club (UW, Dolly Parton)

He has to read it every night before bedtime. He is an only child at the moment. I think it covers all the basics with colorful pictures:

Joking, Helping, Teamwork, Giving, Caring, Teasing, Playing

Plus I think its a great way to break in a new child to the idea of siblings.

Only thing I dont like is the pic of a kid teasing bro - but we all know it happens. Its part of being brothers :) .. So its done in a funny way, now we call it that boys "Silly face" and my 2 yr old does it then giggles.

We have gotten this book from the library so many times, and my sons (2 and 4 years old) have memorized the words. The rhymes, the photos, the warmth of the relationships- really make this book a stand out. On the first day of preschool, my oldest son asked if he bring this book to school and read it to his little brother in front of the teacher.

The last time I tried to get this book from the library, it was out, so I came here to order the book. I was very surpised to read the reviews, and it has definately got me thinking.

Althought I have changed the words to DON'T pull his tail when we get to the dog part, I have always thought of the mischief-making as part of the books appeal- my kids are really interested in "naughty" behavior. We talk quite a bit about the "naughty" behavior of the boys in this book- it's a good opportunity to talk about consequences- and sometimes my kids act of scenes after reading the book (especially running around pulling each other's pants down).

"Big brother, little brother, buddies true and strong. Life is truly twice as fun since he came along."

Big Brother, Little Brother is a fun-filled book for boys ages 3-8 of how brothers big and small relate to one another. With simply, rhyming schemes and slice-of-life pictures, the author does a great job detailing the great (and one or two not-so-great) things that brothers experience together. Five pairs of brothers, each from an ethnically diverse heritage, are the subjects of the photos, many of which are quite funny and tell a story all by themselves. There's a picture of a big brother about to kiss a pet bird, while the little brother grimaces, awaiting the inevitable "peck" that the bird might give back! Another shows a little boy helping his brother tie his shoe. Yet another shows a little brother grinning from ear to ear while big brother helps him show off his muscles. All throughout the book, the rhyming captions capture the essence of the moment, even adding to it by using fonts that emphasize the action such as the "oo"s in the word loop actually looking like two loops.

Parents may be a little concerned about the message or behaviors a few of the pictures teach little boys. The cover photo, for example, shows two brothers getting ready to bathe a frog with soap, something that the frog probably wouldn't enjoy since this would most likely kill him. The picture of big brother encouraging little brother to eat a worm, saying that they "taste just like chicken" is another that may cause some concern. A third shows two brothers sitting on a skateboard, tugging a dog's tail in order to get a pull. While it is true that these behaviors are not what we want little boys to learn, the fact is that this is indeed what little boys tend to do and the author/photographer captures this perfectly. Of far more importance to me are the many more pictures that show brothers helping one another ("Big brother's there for me when I start to cry..."), playing together with obvious hilarity ("Kiss my fish, make a wish, then I'll set him free"), and above all showing that brothers can be the best of friends.

Being a father of two adopted sons, one other inclusion that for me just adds to the book is that two of the brothers talk about being adopted themselves and how that "Though we're not blood brothers, we are brothers of the heart." This and many other pictures and rhymes has made this book a favorite for my boys to read.

We originally got this book from the library and my 2 year old fell in love. We reluctantly bought it for him because he loved looking at the pictures and reading about brothers (since he has a new baby brother). I agree with the other posts that some of the book's message is odd to say the least. There are certain pages we won't read to our son- like "Little brother drools but I've got super spit!", since our 2 year old has a problem with spitting at people when he's frustrated. There also really isn't a "story"- it's more captions to pictures of brothers playing together.

My boys also received this book free as part of Dolly Parton's program, and I was really disappointed. Parton's program is a wonderful idea and the books we have received previously have quickly become favorites of my boys. However, as a mother of one and three-year-old boys, I am trying to teach them to respect each other and the world around them. Having images in a preschool book such as giving a frog a bath, pulling a dog's tail, and pretending to eat worms is really inappropriate. This is one book that will definitely not make it to our family bookshelf.

I thought that this book was really cute and I can't wait to read the Big Sister, Little Sister version. The pictures are great and light-heartedly funny. Unlike the negative review, I don't find them offensive in any way. This book is a cute tale about brothers and bonding. My two daughters and I loved it.

We got this book for my nephews (8 and 6 yrs old) and I had to go get one for my friend's two sons (4 and 2) as well. It went over great in both households. In a series of funny and touching photos, each captioned with one or two sentences, the authors show pairs of brothers from various ethnicities and cultures as they play, fight, make up, and get into mischief together. This book really captures the brother bond in all its complexity, using language any small child can follow. The photo illustrations add to the realism.

I gave this book the lowest rating possible because I was very disturbed by some of the photographs and the terrible messages they portray. Specifically the cover photo of two young boys torturing a frog by giving it a soapy bath. As frogs breathe through their skin this experience had to be at least painful if not deadly for the animal. Further into the book two other boys are posed as if they are going to eat live worms. And flip a few more pages to see boys meanly tugging at the tail of a dog. Way to teach kids how to turn a dog into a biter. What on earth was the author thinking when she selected these pictures for a children's book? Apparently she wasn't. For the record, I'm not a vegetarian or a vegan or a member of PETA. These photos were simply very BAD choices to include in any book that would be shared with impressionable children.