Customer Reviews

If It Weren't for You

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I thought I was going to like this book, but when I finished reading it to my daughter (who is an older sister dealing with many of these situations), I felt it had a poor ending. The book goes through different scenarios, almost all of which involve selfishness ("If it weren't for you, I'd get all the presents. If it weren't for you, I'd get to watch whatever TV show I wanted.") That's not bad, if in the end the author focused on some of the great things about having a sibling (like, if it weren't for you, I'd have no one to talk to in the middle of the night, share silly songs with, etc.). Instead, it ends with the only plus side of having a sibling being that you don't have to be alone with grown-ups. So while this book starts off strong, it ends weak.

I thought this book was poorly written. I think it's good to acknowlege the fact that having a sibling can be difficult but their wasn't a single good thing in this book, it pointed out nothing but the bad. I would not recommend this book.

All siblings, at one time or another, think of how it would be to be an only child. IF IT WEREN'T FOR YOU brings those conflicts to life for children in grades pre-school to grade two. Big sister would love to have the tree house all to herself, and the dog too. She'd love to have the whole last slice of cake, or an entire bottle of soda to herself. As a matter of fact, it seems that she'd pretty much be way better off if she didn't have a sibling - if it weren't for the sibling, life would be so much better. Or would it?

Author Charlotte Zolotow does a wonderful job of pointing out just how older siblings might miss younger siblings if they weren't around, despite the fact that they might often wish that they weren't. And illustrator G. Brian Karas depicts the characters so well it will bring a smile to every child's face.

IF IT WEREN'T FOR YOU is a must-have book for those children who have a newer younger sibling, and might have conflicted feelings about their place in the family. IF IT WEREN'T FOR YOU shows children that it is okay to have mixed feelings about siblings, and helps them to realize what is really important in the end.

Kudos to Charlotte Zolotow and illustrator G. Brian Karas for bringing such a wonderful story to life!