Customer Reviews

Emma Dilemma: Big Sister Poems

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4 star:		(1)
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This book does a great job describing the range of emotions that a big sibling feels about a little one, from frustration to comfort to just plain silly shared moments. Each individual poem can stand alone, and all together they tell a realistic story that will validate the feelings of an older child in a supportive and family-friendly way.

Emma Dilemma is a smart, funny, true-to-life collection of poems that delves into the complicated relationship between sisters. I saw myself and my sister in many of the poems. By the end of the book I was crying (in a good way) and calling my sister. Kristine O'Connell George has great insight into the relationship between sisters!

The tone of this big sister-little sister tale is spot on. Told from point of view of Jess, the older sister, George and Carpenter capture both the tenderness and annoyances of this Beezus and Ramona-esque relationship. The story is told through a series of poems, each capturing different shared experiences in the sisters' lives. In one poem, for example, Emma sits on her sister's shoulders to reach a box that is hidden from both of them only to tattle on her sister after she gets it. The highs and lows of being a big sister will be easily identified by readers with their own "dilemma" at home. When Emma breaks her arm falling from a tree, the overriding love that Jess feels for her sister will also be felt by the readers and might even produce a few tears.

Emma was acting as daffy as they come as she cheered for her big sister at the soccer game. "Gooo, Jessica!" Of course she was one of the most embarrassing kids on the planet and Jessica didn't want her friends to know they were related. Naturally, everyone couldn't help but notice Emma and her Halloweenish getup. Grownups always said things about the sisters that Jessica wish they wouldn't, like "I'll bet you're a very good big sister." Not. Emma was a copycat and wanted to tag along. Did Jessica want her around? NO, not a chance.

Emma Dilemma

Sometimes Dad
Calls my little sister
Emma Dilemma.

Dad says
A dilemma is
An interesting problem.

I know Dad's joking,
But sometimes
Emma is my dilemma.

Emma spoke in a language that only Jessica could understand and she loved to scare Jessica, mess up her room (big time), and sneak in her room at night to nestle under the covers because "there were huge monsters in her room." There were good times and bad times and times that Jessica didn't want her around, but what would happen when Emma dilemma had a seriously bad dilemma of her own?

This is an absolutely charming story of the dilemmas Jessica has with her annoying little sister, Emma. This is a book that will bring huge smiles to anyone who has one of these annoying little critters (or is one). The poems seemingly capture every experience, good, bad, and indifferent that only sisters can share with one another. There was everything from those `you've got to be kidding me' moments when Emma strings yarn from one end of Jessica's room to the other to those `almost really like' you moments when one hand nestles into the other. Naturally, the stickiness killed the moment. Emma's impishness is captured perfectly in the artwork as is every nuance of sisterly love and devotion, devotion that isn't always appreciated. If you have a sister, this is one book you're going to treasure!

I am slowly growing to understand poetry and novels in verse. For years, I thought I disliked anything in those categories but thanks to some special books I am slowly overcoming my hesitation to read poetry or books in verse. Emma Dilemma is as much about the older to younger sister relationship as it is about poetry. The story unfolds through a series of poems that are divided into chapters. There is a sad part, but I do love the way the book wraps up. The illustrations are quirky and fun and really enhance the poetry.