I’m a Big Brother Now by Katura J. Hudson, illustrated by Sylvia L. Walker
Reviewed by: Brian Wilson
Children
Title: I'm a Big Brother Now
By: Hudson, Katura J.
Published: 2017
Call #: JPicture Hudso.K
In this loving, emotionally direct new sibling book, Sylvia L. Walker’s warm watercolors introduce young readers to a charming boy who cannot wait to take on his exciting new role as big brother. This helpful, resourceful little guy helps even before the baby is born: talking to his mommy’s tummy, painting the baby’s room, and making sure his mother’s bag is by the door when she has to quickly leave for the hospital. Katura J. Hudson’s succinct, child-friendly first person text walks the audience through what to expect when the baby first arrives (lots of sleeping and dirty diapers). I love how Hudson calls the new addition “the baby,” resisting gender specification and thus increasing the title’s universality. Although the book is snark-free, it doesn’t feel sappy or cloying. The boy endures some minor disappointments (like needing to be quiet around the sleeping tot and not being able to engage in loud play). Then when the child says that it’s all good at the end, you believe him thanks to the tender beauty of Walker’s art and Hudson’s prose. A beautiful little gem of a book, unassuming and universal.
