MY BIG SISTER / MI HERMANA MAYOR

This bilingual tale captures the loving relationship of two latchkey siblings.

In a first-person narration, Pablito describes how his sister Anita takes care of him while his parents work in a factory to “sew jeans for the whole world.” After Anita wakes him up, Pablito brushes his teeth, dresses for school and ties his own shoes. In the kitchen, he eats the oatmeal his sister has made, and then the two walk down the street to the bus stop. Pablito picks some flowers for Anita along the way then boards the bus for school. The story skips ahead to the end of Pablito’s school day, with his sister meeting him at his bus and the pair returning to their house, where Anita helps her brother with homework. A friendly soccer game with two boys follows, before the siblings eat reheated leftovers for dinner. Pablito showers and asks his sister for a bedtime story and a song. After he falls asleep, his parents return and thank Anita for the wonderful care she has given to Pablito. Caraballo’s narrative is well-paced, although the flow is marred by occasionally awkward onomatopoeia. English text precedes the Spanish translation, often complemented by small illustrations highlighting Muraida’s artwork on the facing pages.

A charming, if idealized tale highlighting a situation familiar to many children