Customer Reviews

What Sisters Do Best/What Brothers Do Best

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Granted, my niece is a bit overly analytical for being six but she thought it was "lame" that brothers and sisters do the same things the best. Her question was "Why can't the brothers and sisters do those things together? I think it's stupid that they are separated." I have to agree with her. I think the overall format concept is a good concept but sort of fell flat. This book will not be going into our weekend bedtime reading rotation.

WHAT SISTERS/BROTHERS DO BEST is a sweet little picture book with a clever gimmick. Read one way, it contains descriptions and illustrations of what two sisters can do together; flip the book over, and you get the same for two brothers. My four year old, who loves her 12 year old sister very much, had great fun listening to the various activities that sisters can do together, and she especially enjoyed noting the ones that she and her sister already do. My 12 year old thought WHAT SISTERS/BROTHERS DO BEST was cute, and she really enjoyed reading it to her baby sister.

Author Laura Numeroff, know far and wide for her IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE series, and artist Lynn Munsigner have combined to create WHAT SISTERS/BROTHERS DO BEST. This book is delightful, charming, and has a simple warmth. The illustrations are engaging, colorful, and detailed, and the large, clear print makes WHAT SISTERS/BROTHERS DO BEST a great early reader.

WHAT SISTERS/BROTHERS DO BEST is clearly aimed at sister-sister pairs and brother-brother pairs of siblings. While perfect for my children, I can't help but wonder if the audience would be wider if there were also a sister-brother pairing. Additionally, the activities are identical for both halves of the book, whether the girls or the boys, although the artwork is quite different. I, personally, would have liked to have seen a wider variety of activities, so that the two halves of the book were not exactly the same.

Overall, WHAT SISTERS/BROTHERS DO BEST is a fun, entertaining picture book for the targeted audience. WHAT SISTERS/BROTHERS DO BEST would also make a wonderful gift for a child expecting a new sibling. My two daughters have had many readings of this book, and I have noticed that it is the one my wee one asks her big sister to read to her the most.

When I decided to try this book, I assumed that (based partly on price) it would be two separate but similar stories joined by the visual. It turns out that the art is far fresher than the narrative, which I found charming but ultimately disappointing.

I adore Laura Numeroff's clever style and fresh voice (her books are excellent read-alouds) so I was eager to share this book with my children: one boy and one girl. When we flipped "What Brothers Do Best" over to "What Sisters Do Best," we were furrowing our brows at the exact same story with "sister/she" substituted for "brother/he." So the second story only delivered on the art, which provided the new perspective that the text lacked. My children are beyond "read it again" but if yours aren't, this might be a way to read the same story twice without being so bored.

I would imagine that any customer holding the book would flip it around to check it out before buying and generally putting it back down. Amazon customers don't have that option and should be informed that it's really one story with two artistic interpretations. That said, I really loved the artwork, to the point where I searched for more work by Lynn Munsinger.

In my opinion it would have been better to split it into two separate books (at half the price) and allow the consumer to pick which one to buy. Numeroff is an author whose work I would usually purchase on faith. After this, I'll be looking at hard copies before I buy.

Having 2 boys and a girl, this book has been a fun way to point out wonderful traits about all 3 of the siblings. It's always nice to be appreciated and have your strengths noticed. It's especially great for the boys about what cool traits they share. We like the simple, cute illustrations and the easy-reading style.

This book falls into the "politically correct" category. It's basically a gimmick: read the first several pages to find out what boys are good at, then turn it upside down and read what girls are good at: the exact same things, surprise! The illustrations are cloying. And I positively detest anything that smacks of political correctness, especially in children's books. It gets two-stars because, to be honest, my two-year old and three-year-old (brother and sister) enjoy it. On the other hand, when books get popular, they get read every day for three months, so daddy has to be able to stomach it.

The idea is very good, but there is nothing in this story that makes it cute, clever, or catchy in any way. The illustrations are fine, the text is very dull. I really wouldn't recommend purchasing it.

"What Sisters Do Best/What Brothers Do Best" is a cute little book with very nice artwork that tries to remind siblings that having a brother or sister has an up sideup. It does this by talking about activities children are likely to do together, like climbing trees, swinging, and playing tag. And because all of the characters are animals, it allows for some latitude, in most cases, for the gender of each character. (In some pictures the bows and skirts identify gender.)

If you are wondering about the title, I should say that this book is two-books-in-one. By which I mean that the way that the book is structured, you read it one way to the half-way point, then flip it over so that you can then read about the opposite sibling arrangement from the other side.

The text is identical in both versions, but the artwork is different. For example in one version of 'share a delicious snack' the children are sharing popcorn, while in the alternative they are eating from both ends of a huge sandwich at a picnic.

Overall, it's the sort of book that I think would be ideal for reading to a toddler, preschooler, or even a first grader, before a new baby appears in the house to set up a positive scenario. I also think it would be a great sit-down and read it together book for siblings who are going through one of those 'fussy' moments. (Moooommm, she's touching me! Mom, he's sticking his tongue out!)

Pam ~
mom and reviewer at BooksForKids-reviews

This book definitely offers something unique: two books in one. AND each book is specified for either the brother or sister.

While the text is the same (except for the changing of Brother/Sister, depending on the book reading), you got to admit they typically don't notice when they're this small.

My five year old has had us read it to him several times; including the sister side too. With a little sister in two, he can relate.

It's a cute, inexpensive book that preschool children love - and a good little teaching tool and what brothers and sisters do for one another.

My kids and I enjoyed reading this book. I have a son and a daughter. Each one of them likes to read his/her part. Basically, this is a flip book. You start reading about what sisters do best, then you flip the book and you start reading about what brothers do best. The book has very adorable illustrations. Brothers and sisters are supposed to care for each other. This is what this book is about.

I liked the idea of having two stories in one book because my two kids are sharing it and are enjoying looking at the pictures very much.

The book is made out of high quality paper and I would highly recommend it to family and friends.

This book was perfect for my 3 children (2 boys / 1 girl) as it was a wonderful reminder to all of them how they are a blessing to their siblings. It's even better that once we read one story, we just flip it over and read the other... 2 books in 1 and we're thrilled. Illustrations are wonderful and gave them tons to look at on each page.