WHEN MY BROTHER GETS HOME

What’s better than a big brother? A big brother who asks, “So what do you want to do?”!

A ponytailed little sister impatiently searches for any sign of the school bus. Propped against a tree, she anticipates the death-defying exploits she and her brother will embark upon—after feeding their loyal subjects. Will they ford the mighty Amazon, or will they find themselves locked in a fierce struggle against a snarling alligator? As the feisty sprite conjures up a round-the-world trip on their very own jumbo jet, the school bus is turning the corner…“MY BROTHER’S HOME!” Lichtenheld’s sibling lovefest launches right from the clever endpapers. The bus route is plotted in black dashes from the school to the tree—broken up halfway home by the story itself. As the refrain, “When my brother gets home,” is repeated, a childlike crayon drawing clues readers in to the bus’s progress. Each repetition is followed up by thought bubbles depicting their very next adventure—maybe it will be a daredevil plunge into a raging waterfall! From the striped, marmalade cat to the scruffy, up-for-anything dog, everyone is supercharged and ready to go—not a screen to be had on any of the pages. Both kids have brown skin and black hair, and their imaginations make their ordinary suburb quite extraordinary.

The characters’ energy explodes from this endearing tribute to sibling interactions and affection.