By Anna McQuinn, Illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw
Charlesbridge, $6.95, 32 pages
Expressing Sibling Love Through Reading
It’s sort of nice to read a story about a sister helping her younger brother. Lola Reads to Leo follows Lola as she reads to her baby brother Leo in almost every circumstance. She constantly reads to him, from when he wakes up to when he falls asleep, and to comfort him as well as teach him. Arguably the worst part of this book is its pro-reading message, which can get over-bearing, but the overall sweetness of the book makes up for it.
The illustrations are beautiful and warm, making for a very comfortable read; this is a book that will see numerous re-readings. For children that want something a little more complex, the pictures have the added bonus that a child can explore them, making them the possible starting point of stories themselves. That ability to scale with the child, going from mere story to the beginning of stories themselves, is probably the nicest feature of this book. For parents looking for a beautiful book with re-read value, this is an excellent first book.
Reviewed by Jamais Jochim
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