FAMOUSLY PHOEBE

An adored little girl must adjust to sharing the spotlight with her new baby sister.

Phoebe, a girl with dark wavy hair and light skin, is used to being the center of attention. Her parents and extended family take so many pictures of her that she concludes she must be famous, and she glories in their adoration. The cheeky text plays with Phoebe’s self-perceived fame and constructs her as a little starlet among her many “fans” until “…a younger co-star arrived on-set.” The new baby’s name is Rose, and a jealous Phoebe quickly decides that she’s “a diva.” It’s not until Phoebe figures out how to entertain the baby, provoking her first smile, that Phoebe comes around and decides to embrace her new role as big sister. Blard-Quintard’s expressive illustrations do a fine job of at turns providing a comfortable home setting for Phoebe’s story and then homing in on her character in spreads with minimal or reduced settings that highlight her actions and emotions.

A worthy, sistercentric addition for the new-baby shelf.