Wildest Brother

Wildest Brother

Product Description By day, Ben is one brave brother--but when night falls, even the wildest boy sometimes needs protecting by his big sis. The third hit picture book by the best-selling Funke and award-winning Meyer. Brave as a lion, strong as an elephant, Ben is a fearless young boy. When it comes to protecting his big sister, Anna, nothing can stand in his way! Gallantly he spends his day battling moldy green ghosts, slime-belching monsters, and all sorts of ferocious beasts. But when the day is over and darkness falls, Ben suddenly doesnt feel quite so brave. Sometimes, he realizes, its the big sister who does the protecting. Featuring Meyers witty, whimsical artwork and Funkes deft balance of humor, emotion, and truth, this is the perfect bedtime read for rambunctious brothers and sisters. From School Library Journal Kindergarten-Grade 1Ben is a brave and loyal little brother. Sure, he uses Annas makeup to paint red blobs on her desk. But really theyre drops of blood from the man-eating monster standing behind her, fork in hand, sprinkling her hair with a soupon of salt. He instructs her to hide inside her wardrobe and make monster noises (no gigglingthis will inflame the creature) while he attacks the suddenly ferocious armoire with his plastic artillery. While Anna extricates herself from her vanquished furniture, Ben is battling the green bathroom slime, the weekly burglar, and the backyard bears. His strength and courage are distinguished by a trail of spilt and broken things left in the wake of his heroics. Yet when night sneaks in through the windows, Ben is up against the wildest monster of all and he is so very glad to have a sister to shelter him. Meyers color-soaked cartoons are bursting with a zany energy in which fantasy becomes real. While the text is somewhat awkward, Meyer takes up the slack whenever the words falter. This is not so much the story of a small boys daytime bravery and nighttime fears as it is the tender description of a special sibling relationship. Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist PreS-Gr. 2. The creators of The Princess Knight (2004) and Pirate Girl (2005) offer another picture book, this time featuring the adventures of contemporary kids close to home. Sometimes when Ben wakes up he is a wild wolf. Or a knight. In short, deadpan sentences, Funke describes a boys imagined games. Armed with toy swords and water pistols, he pretends to protect his older sister, Anna, from endless threats--monsters, burglars, and bears. But at night, when the heating creaks like the sound of a thousand biting beetles, its Anna who protects her frightened brother. Wrights wonderfully expressive acrylic paintings elevate this simple glimpse of sibling play into something special. The animated scenes, filled with Bens imagined foes, perfectly capture the wild-eyed, physical fun; the shifting emotions as brother and sister tussle and tease; and finally, their comfort. For another sibling story, suggest LeUyen Phams Big Sister, Little Sister (2005) or Lynne Jonnells Lets Play Rough (2000). Gillian Engberg Copyright American Library Association. All rights reserved About the Author CORNELIA FUNKE is one of todays most beloved writers of magical stories for children. She is the author of The Thief Lord, Dragon Rider, Inkheart, Inkspell, the Ghosthunters series, When Santa Fell to Earth, and Igraine the Brave. She lives with her family in Los Angeles, California, in a house full of books.