SISTER WISH

Two sisters declare their admiration for each other.

The book opens with the sisters comparing their lots in life. The younger grouses about how she consistently inherits her sister’s hands-me-downs, but the older has a different perspective: “I grow out of all my favorite things and have to give them to you.” Things shift when they both start imagining how animals must feel: A fish might wish it had legs and could gallop as a horse does, though a horse might wish it could hop a ride for once. Each sister then shares instances in which she wishes she could be the other. This results in a series of compliments to each other, which also makes each sibling see their respective strengths. “It’s best if there is one of you and of me,” they decide. Siblings everywhere will recognize the detailed, closely observed grievances (the hand-me-downs the younger sister receives have “ice cream stains and holes”) as well as the tight bonds that siblings can develop: Who else but the older sister is going to read to the younger one at night? In many of the spreads, the sisters are outside, nary an adult in sight, the palette featuring the cool greens and teals of the grass and sky. A warm, eye-catching shade of pink, the same that adorns the book’s title, appears sparingly on nearly every spread. The sisters present White, rendered in Potter’s inimitable folk art–like style. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10.5-by-17-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)

Sisterly devotion beyond compare.