Claire Keane

A little girl in a big world, Matisse lived a very happy life, enjoying everything around her, in ways large and small. Then a new addition arrived in her family, in the form of her baby brother Roman, and she realized that she was a big girl, at least in relationship to him. With that status as a big girl, however, came big responsibility, in the form of helping to care for this tiny newcomer. Fortunately, there was also a big reward, in the fun they had together...

Little Big Girl is an absolute delight, pairing a fresh-feeling tale of a girl and her baby brother with cute-as-a-button artwork depicting their adventures together. So many "new sibling" stories address feelings of jealousy and/or uncertainty, on the part of the older brother or sister - and this is quite natural, of course - that it was a welcome surprise for me to see that author/artist Claire Keane's tale was completely angst-free, with Matisse displaying no mixed feelings about her baby brother. I also appreciated the way that perspective was explored, through the story-line, as Matisse realizes that she is both little and big, depending upon the context. Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories about getting a baby brother or sister that have a happier bent - I've certainly received this request a number of times at work! - as well as to those in the mood for a sweet sibling story in general.… (mer)