Sister Day!
Written by Lisa Mantchev
Illustrations by Sonia Sánchez
Paula Wiseman Books 6/13/2017
978-1-4814-3795-0
32 pages Ages 4—8

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“Sisters play,
sisters laugh,
sisters love . . .
most of the time.

“For Lizzie, the perfect afternoon is one spent playing with her big sister, Jane. But it’s tough being the little sister. Jane is always busy with activities and play dates. And so she hatches the perfect plan to show Jane just how much she loves her.

“This sweet and whimsical story perfectly captures the special bond of sisterhood.” [INSIDE JACKET]

Review
Lizzie loves her big sister, Jane, and simply wants to spend some time with her. She loves Jane’s stories, especially the one where Jane finds Lizzie living under a rock and brings her home. But Jane has a structured life with several activities, play dates, and then homework, leaving little for storytelling or much of anything else.

One day, Lizzie notices Jane’s calendar has an open square, a Saturday. Lizzie strikes upon an idea to get her sister’s attention, picks out a crayon, and marks the box with a pink circle. All week long, Lizzie works hard to bring her idea to life, as Jane remains busy with one activity or another. Monday is soccer practice, Tuesday ballet lessons, Wednesday . . . until finally an activity-free Saturday.

Lizzie uses the time to tame some wild dragons, dress up fairies in tutus, and other important preparations. Every day, while Jane does her activity, Lizzie prepares for Saturday. Finally, the day circled in pink crayon arrives. Lizzie takes her sketchbook, her drawings, and her plans and puts them all together. Once ready, she looks for her big sister, but Jane is not in her room. Where could she be?

Sister Day! is a special day for Lizzie. Her ideas, cleverly overlaid upon Jane’s activities, are imaginative and creative. Various animals help Lizzie plan her big orchestra, playing various instruments while Lizzie conducts, all while Jane has her piano lesson. Strangely, the piano teacher seems able to see Lizzie’s imagination at work. Each day, while Jane has her lesson or practice, Lizzie prepares for Saturday. Interestingly, someone in the room can see it all in motion. This helps direct the reader’s attention to Lizzie and her friends. Quite clever.

Young siblings will appreciate Sister Day! and may find inspiration. Big sisters could very well see themselves, over scheduled as many youngsters are today, and notice how lonely her younger sister is without her attention. The illustrations cleverly make ordinary days into special days, all filled with Lizzie’s imagination. There is much to smile about with little tugs of humor within each day. Moms will appreciate Mantchev’s practical reminder that children need an adult’s help when they use kitchen appliances.

Sister Day! mirrors National Sister’s Day. Always on the first Sunday in August, this year the day arrives on August 6th. National Sister’s Day is the perfect day for siblings to connect and remind each other of their love for one another. Young girls tend to idolize their older sister, wanting to be like them and with them, yet often left behind in today’s tendency to keep kids active—sometimes overextended with lessons, programs, and play dates. National Sister’s Day! can help slow down family life, if only for a day.

Sister’s Day! lovingly portrays a younger siblings need for their older sibling, be it sister or brother (Brothers Day occurs each May 24th). Lizzie and Jane’s story, narrated by the younger girl, is full of love, creativity, imagination, and the need siblings have for each other, especially when young. When kids do not connect with siblings when young, they usually lose touch as adults. Sister’s Day! promotes family and love. The story is perfect for sisters, no matter their ages.

SISTER DAY! copyright © 2017 by Lisa Mantchev. Illustrations copyright © 2017 by Sonia Sánchez. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Paula Wiseman Books/Simon & Schuster, New York, NY.

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Copyright © 2017 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved.