Dogs Don't Eat Jam and Other Things Big Kids Know. Sarah Tsiang. Illustrated by Qin Leng. Toronto, ON: Annick Press, 2011. 32 pp., pbk. & hc., $8.95 (pbk.), $19.95 (hc.). ISBN 978-1-55451-359-8 (pbk.), ISBN 978-1-55451-360-4 (hc.). Preschool-grade 2 / Ages 3-6. Review by Natalie Schembri. *** /4

excerpt:

So you've been born! Congratulations.

I'm big now, but you know what? I wasn't always this big. As your older sister, I'm here to help. I've put together this handy guide to life.

It took a lot of time and hard work to get where I am now…

In Dogs Don't Eat Jam and Other Things Big Kids Know, Sarah Tsiang shares lessons of growing up through the advice of an experienced big sister. This older sibling eagerly explains the hurdles each baby must accomplish before becoming a toddler.

     This delightful story serves as a growing-up-guide that each first-time older sibling should read when welcoming a newborn into the family. With wittiness, big sister dutifully explains childhood milestones, such as pulling up her own zipper, feeding the dog for mom and dad, reading stories and bravely taking the school bus to kindergarten. Tsiang's story emphasizes the abundance of lessons involved in growing up—including that the dog doesn't eat jam—and an older sibling's willingness to pass on a wealth of early wisdom.

      Qin Leng's softly colored and playful illustrations comically plot the steps of growing up from newborn to childhood days through entertaining flashbacks of big sister's early years. Leng's whimsical illustrations capture the older sibling's confidently recounting her early know-hows to the newborn. The illustrations effectively complement Tsiang's narrative.

      I would recommend Dogs Don't Eat Jam and Other Things Big Kids Know for school, public and home library collections because this big sister leaves young readers feeling inspired: "little baby, one day you'll be just as big as I am. With a little help, of course."

Recommended.

Natalie Schembri, a recent UWO graduate and lifelong learner, resides in London, ON.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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