SUPER BIG BROTHER AND SWEET LITTLE SISTER
by Tolu Adeosun
Two siblings describe their love by praising the other in this photo-based picture book.
In the first part of this work, baby Tiwa describes how her older sibling, Deji, “is my superhero, and I’m pretty sure my mom’s too,” as he helps to feed, change, and hold her. When Tiwa cries, he sings to her, and he promises to always be there for her. Deji’s narrative, which follows, is longer, as he describes how much he wanted and prayed for a baby sibling. When his mother became pregnant, he was sure the baby would be a “sweet little sister.” After staying with his grandmother during Tiwa’s birth, Deji got to meet and hold the newborn at the hospital. This eye-catching portrait of sibling love is filled with full-color photographs of a Black family, showing the progress of Tiwa’s development. (A few identical photos appear in both Tiwa’s and Deji’s sections.) It also uses vocabulary that newly independent readers will find easily accessible. Deji’s faith-based worldview is likely to resonate in homes in which prayer and God are regularly discussed. Adeosun’s simple sentence structure convincingly gets across the youngsters’ voices. Deji’s love for Tiwa is evident in both the text and photographs, and it may inspire older siblings to become better helpers at home.
A pleasantly photographed slice-of-life tale.