Mi hermano. (My Brother)

Reviewed by School Library Journal, 03/01/07 -- Críticas, 4/1/2008

Browne, Anthony.
tr. by Laura Emilia Pacheco. Mexico/U.S.: Fondo de Cultura Económica (Los especiales de A la orilla del viento). 2007. unpaged. ISBN 978-968-16-8479-2. $14.99.

K-Gr 3–"My brother is really cool," boasts a young boy. On widely spaced lined paper, he writes of his older sibling's many attributes. Not only does he have cool ears and hair, but he also wears cool clothes. And he can score "FANTASTIC goals" in soccer, "run so FAST that...he can FLY!," "read HUNDREDS of books," and write "BRILLIANT stories." Browne's over-the-top, whimsical cartoon illustrations are the perfect foil for this child's exuberant praise of his sibling. Big brother's "cool" button is echoed in the many buttons containing accolades like "SUPER BROTHER!" and "He's GREAT!" on the endpapers. Big brother's artwork is so fine that the wolf he has drawn comes to life and frightens Red Riding Hood off the page. The bubble he blows fills a room, and he reads Browne's My Brother in a chair constructed of books and "cool" sandaled feet. The author's fans will recognize his penchant for gorillas, and they will delight in the self-affirming ending when they turn the page after reading, "And guess what….I am cool too!” [A straightforward translation, this is an additional purchase for public libraries.–Ed.]

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