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Books About Siblings

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Five Best Books about Siblings

Five books about siblings, selected by author Clare Helen Welsh.

Clare says, ‘For those of us lucky enough to have brothers or sisters, siblings are often our first friends. Sibling relationships can be loving, fun, but challenging too, which makes for a dynamic story set up. Throughout my childhood and adult life, I have enjoyed many books about sibling adventures. So, in no particular order, here are my ‘Five Best Books about Siblings:’

Helen Stephens
Picturebook

I always recommend this book to families with a new a baby on the way. It can be a tricky time for siblings but ‘The Night Iceberg’ is a magical, night time adventure with a subtle message about learning to share. Tofta wants the night iceberg to be just for her but thinks again when a group of penguins show up. This story gently unpicks the anxieties siblings may be having in a beautiful and delicate way. You won’t be able to resist the yellows and blues of this magical, snowy world.

Lauren Child
Picturebook

All of the books in this series are packed with humour and charm, not least ‘I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato!’ It’s authentic and relatable to children and adults alike, capturing the frustration, challenges and heart of young children. The care, attention and patience that Charlie has for his younger sister, who is being picky about her food, is a relationship all siblings can aspire to. If you’re lucky, Charlie and Lola might rub off a little on your young readers. The story may even persuade them to try ‘moon squirters!’

Martin Waddell
 & Patrick Benson
Picturebook

Owl Babies is a classic book for preschool that has been entertaining children for generations. A favourite preschool choice in both classrooms and homes, Owl Babies is the story of three baby owls – Sarah, Percy and Bill – who awaken from their daytime sleep to find that mother owl is missing. As the baby owls huddle together on their branch to wait, the night gets darker and the noises get scarier. Will mummy come back soon? This is a beautiful storytime favourite with a cosy ending, and one that anyone who has ever longed for a parent to return will immediately relate to.

Clare Helen Welsh and Olivier Tallec
Picturebook

If it’s not too cheeky to sneak in a couple of my own titles, Dot and Duck in the ‘How’ series have an extremely testing relationship that all siblings will be able to relate to. I’m often asked where I came up with the ideas for ‘How Selfish’ and ‘How Rude’. I tell people that with two brothers, two children and ten years’ teaching experience, I didn’t need to look too far for inspiration! What is empowering about these books, is that both characters are equally as bad as each other but work out the right way to behave in the end.

Clare Helen Welsh
 & Åsa Gilland
Picturebook

The story begins perfectly. A loving family out for a day in the woods. Two close siblings decide to build a shelter from sticks they collect. Then the older sister is a bit tired. The wind blows and the den collapses. They rebuild their perfect shelter. As the weather becomes more inclement, the sister grows sicker and the shelter is not important any longer. As the days wear on, the older sister is in hospital, the younger child just wants their sister to be well again. On a visit to the hospital, as the sister grows stronger, will they find the perfect way to discover their smiles again?

This was a moving story dealing with the serious illness of a sibling. While the little girl felt a whole array of feelings that could be associated with this experience, the shelter became a symbol that needed repairing for everything to be OK while the weather tried to tear it down. The combination of the weather, the shelter and the little girl’s feelings merge brilliantly in this book, all reflecting the turbulent time that the characters were experiencing.

The bright, colourful pictures perfectly illustrated the happy times of den building and the love and hope felt between the characters, while the images of the darker weather showed the fear and sadness of the family situation. I thought it was great that the characters were not named; they could reflect any child going through this experience.

A beautiful story inviting interest and empathy towards those living through the serious illness of a loved one.

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