Key Bookshelf

Title: Oh, Brother
Author: Nikki Grimes
Illustrator: Mike Benny
Publisher: Greenwillow
Year Published: 2008
Type of Book: Children's Picture Book

Nikki Grimes wins many awards for her poetry. She writes for adults and for children. This story about becoming a family is told in 20 connected poems.

Xavier does not want a new brother. However, his mother marries Chris's father anyway.

"Everyone in this house is a step, now. /Stepmom./Stepdad./ Stepson./Stepbrother./In my mind, I turn them into steps/I can climb./And when I reach/the top,/I rule."

Xavier wants to dislike his new brother, Chris. He resents him, because Chris behaves so well.

However, Xavier begins to have feelings for the younger boy when Chris tells him why he is being so good. The two boys begin to bond as brothers. They become a family.

Children who have never had to get used to a new parent or sibling (brother or sister) will enjoy this book. It is a good story that rings true for many blended families, and Grimes tells the story well. Children who have had to adjust to life in a new family will see that their feelings are normal and that happy endings can come from new beginnings. Readers will even learn a little Spanish. Mike Benny's pictures are wonderful. They show us just how Xavier is feeling.

All books reviewed in The Key Bookshelf section are available in the Milwaukee Public Library. All picture books are written at the difficulty level of the book being reviewed.