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Beyond Jack and Jill: 5 Amazing Books that Explore Sibling Relationships
As an only child I was always envious of my friends with big families (although since my family was just my parents, me, and a cat, most of my friends fit this bill). The closest I’ve come to knowing what it’s actually like to have a younger, older, or twin sibling is through reading, which as a lonely only, I had a LOT of time to do! Shared rooms, shared clothes, shared pets, just sharing, seemed to create its own set of problems unique to the sibling relationship, and I wanted to experience them all. Instead, I lived vicariously through the pages of my much loved books. So whether you’re an only child, a twin, or lost in the middle of a giant brood, here are five sibling-centered books, that explore in wonderfully vivid detail this special dynamic in all of its loving, complicated, and beautiful messiness.
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Trading Faces, by Julia DeVillers, Jennifer Roy, and Allison Smith
For anyone who’s ever wanted a twin, this is a fun book about twin sisters, written by twin sisters—how cool is that? Seventh graders Emma and Payton Mills are identical twin sisters who couldn’t be more different. Emma is the smart brainiac, and Payton is the popular fashionista. For the first time in their lives they are assigned different class schedules, so one day they do what any kid who wishes they had an identical twin dreams of doing, they secretly switch places! Through pretending to be someone else, Emma and Payton ultimately learn more about themselves than they could have imagined.
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Beezus and Ramona, by Beverly Cleary
A classic, for a reason! In Beezus and Ramona, the ever delightful Beverly Cleary shows the sometimes exasperating yet always hilarious relationship between Beezus, age nine, and her younger and more precocious sister Ramona, age four. Beezus has to contend with Ramona wearing Easter bunny ears to the library in September, sprinkling graham cracker crumbs all over the rug like Hansel and Gretel, and taking one bite of every apple in the crate, all while simultaneously loving and hating the chaos her sister inadvertently creates as she navigates the world. And yet, when it really comes down to it, Beezus realizes she wouldn’t have it any other way.
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How to be a Baby…by Me, the Big Sister, by Sally Lloyd-Jones and Sue Heap
This sweet and charming picture book is the perfect story to read to a toddler adjusting to a new baby sister or brother. Initially the older sister points out all the things the baby can’t do, like “be a princess or a fairy or a mermaid” or can’t eat “like pizza, chocolate…or anything good,” but she eventually comes around to see how special this baby is going to be in her life, and how their relationship will evolve and deepen as the baby grows up.
Matilda in the Middle: A Bunny Ballet Story, by Cofi Doerffeld
From just one sibling, to a twin, to a whole rabbit’s den of brothers and sisters…Matilda the bunny is stuck right in the middle, longing for her breakout solo. This wonderfully illustrated picture book is perfect for any middle bunny who may find themselves feeling a little lost in the chaos of a big family. Sensing this, Matilda’s mother signs her up for ballet class, and after much rehearsing this little aspiring ballerina finally finds her place to shine. But perhaps the most valuable lesson of all was “knowing that being in the middle… was exactly where she belonged.”
Ling & Ting: Together in All Weather, by Grace Lin
In the latest book of this delightful series written by Grace Lin, twins Ling and Ting are back and as irresistible as ever. If you’ve ever wanted a friend (or as I did, a sibling) for all seasons, this is the book for you. From Ling and Ting’s bungled attempts to sell lemonade, rake leaves, and make Chinese medicine for a winter cold, this early reader book is a sweet and funny introduction to all of the seasons. Ling and Ting may not succeed in cashing in at the lemonade stand, but they do get to see a double rainbow, and the reader gets to see just how lucky these siblings are to have one another.
What are some of your favorite books about siblings?