The Family Bookshelf
By Bob Walch
 "Sophie Peterman Tells the Truth!"
(Beach Lane.) by Sarah Weeks. Illustrated by Robert Neubecker
The Audience: For children 4-8.
The Issue: A little girl is not thrilled about having a baby brother to share the house with.
The Content: Sophie, the narrator of this picture book, is not thrilled about having a little baby brother. Babies steal attention. They get everything they want. They make horrible messes and they often do not smell very good.
The list goes on and on as Sophie really gets into listing all the negatives. Although her tirade is humorous, the little girl does hit upon some of "truths" about infants.
For example, Sophie says, "At first, babies are like ALIENS. They have big eyes and bald heads, and they sit around all day making strange noises."
And she warns the reader that, "If you are taking a bath with a monster (little brother) and you notice extra bubbles…GET OUT (of the tub)!"
Fortunately, after cataloging all the bad stuff, Sophie does admit that it's not all bad; there are some good things about having a little brother. In fact, she finally says, "You might actually start to like him."
The Message: After cataloging all the reasons why babies can be your "worst nightmare", Sophie finally admits that, when all is said and done, it isn't so bad actually having a little brother.
I think this is an excellent picture book to read to a child who may feel, like Sophie, that a new baby is a family intrusion. Hopefully this will open up a discussion about the negative feelings and once you clear the air, you can then focus on the positives.
Before retiring, Bob Walch taught English in Santa Barbara and Carmel for 39 years. His reviews of children's literature appear in Central Coast newspapers and on line at the Reading Tub, Roundtable Reviews, My Shelf and Parent Click. |
