ONCE UPON A BABY BROTHER

Lizzie, an exuberant second grader, loves to write stories. Her parents are her best audience—that is, until her baby brother is born. Suddenly the only one who seems to have time to listen is the dog. As Lizzie fights for attention in her house, she takes refuge in her writing and discovers a new muse—her annoying baby brother. She starts creating stories using baby Marvin as her villain and can barely keep up with the wealth of ideas that this fuels. Then her mother takes Marvin for a visit to Grandma’s, and Lizzie gets to enjoy some quiet time with her dad. She discovers, however, that the space Marvin leaves is bigger than she thought and welcomes his return with new appreciation. Sullivan’s prose is a bit wordy, but the fresh take on the new-sibling theme with an empowering female character makes up for its weaknesses. Tusa’s cheerful black-lined watercolors do a nice job expressing Lizzie’s creative spirit, expanding on the gaps left in the text to fill them with humor. Funny and useful. (Picture book. 3-6)