Back to main page | Bibliography For a bibliography, school visit info, activities and other info, please see my Site Map Me and My Sister OLA Best Bet Selection 2005 Click images below to see a bigger version. Author: Ruth Ohi Illustrator: Ruth Ohi Annick Press, February 2005 ISBN 1550378929 Order this book online. Reviews: From Vancouver Straight: "Everything Ruth Ohi does is a delight, including this deceptively simple tale ... Ohi's evocative, compassionate watercolors open her setting to more storytelling." From School Library Journal: "The uncluttered design features sweet, expressive watercolors against white backgrounds. With one short line per spread, this book can be read easily by beginners. Most young children with siblings will relate to it." From Booklist: "In this satisfying picture book, told in short phrases, a girl tells about a day with her little sister. How short? "Sister in the kitchen. / Sister in my room. / Sister in a box. / Sister going zoom" takes you half way through the book. Spread by spread, these simple phrases add up to a rhyming, first-person text that leaves plenty of room for interpretation. Telling a great deal of the story visually, the illustrations show the siblings making cookies, playing, and reading together as well as disagreeing about who gets to play with the older sister's doll. Soft line drawings with color washes show the children engaged in everyday activities and emotions that other young children will enjoy observing. Clearly the toddler annoys her older sister, but the empathetic artwork shows that they share a bond of affection as well. Lovey-dovey picture books have saturated the market, but it's the recognition of the annoyance that makes this affection more gratifying. Short and ultimately sweet, but not too sweet." From Canadian Materials: "The short simple sentences make it a perfect reading choice for toddlers. The delightful rhyming text conveys a story beyond the simple words read." Our Choice Award/Canadian Children's Book Centre: "...This simple picture book glows with the warmth of sisterly love. Told from the older sister's viewpoint, the text recounts the joys and occasional frustrations of being a big sister. The younger sister's antics and exuberance are nicely balanced by the older sister's patience and, at times, annoyance..." From the Globe & Mail: "...Me and My Sister speaks volumes in very few words about sibling relationships - the ambivalent part. In 30 words, some of them rhyming, the elder sister, who might be about 4, lays it all out, ably assisted by Ruth Ohi's expressive watercolours. There's small 'sister in the kitchen' throwing chocolate chips into the bowl of cookie mixture that big sister is stirring up. There's 'sister in my room,' which is clearly a no-go zone (the expression on big sister's face seems to shriek). There's 'sister with my doll' and 'sister being fed': Face and hands covered in food, she's not a pretty sight as she lunges for big sister's doll. But if those are the gut-wrenching aspects of having a younger sister, her willingness to play and to read with older sister seem to balance the equation. Perhaps the best moment for big sister is seeing 'little sister sleeping on my bed'." From the Quill & Quire: "Now writing as well as illustrating, Ruth Ohi presents a new picture book exploring the relationship between two young sisters. Inspired by Ohi's own daughters, the two girls (who appear to be about two and four years old) romp through a busy day together. Ohi has captured the fleeting attention spans of kids this age, as they move from making cookies to the dress-up box to playing with dolls to eating dinner. Although the day unfolds with inevitable disagreements and injustices, all is resolved on the peaceful final page. Ohi's illustrations are indeed charming and effectively express the movements and moods of children, and anyone familiar with this age group will immediately recognize the actions and emotions of the little girls. Siblings of both genders will understand their passing frustrations with each other as well as their deep affection. Ohi's warm, colourful palette has strong enough outlines to make the images distinct for the youngest viewers, but the overall effect remains gentle and fluid. Ohi's simple rhyming phrases (in oversize print) accompany the girls' antics, but I was just getting into the rhythm when the book ended. A few more pages would have allowed us to get to know the girls better and enjoy Ohi's art longer. As it is, the text is so brief that it's a good thing her expressive illustrations carry the action on each page a little further. This title is a good storytime choice for toddlers and preschoolers when presenting the themes of families or siblings, but it would be equally successful read quietly one-on-one. "Me and My Sister" and its endearing heroines will please Ruth Ohi's many established fans." Copyright © 2005 Ruth Ohi. Please do not use material without permission. Base URL: http://www.ruthohi.com/