Liam Takes a Stand

by Troy Wilson, Josh Holinaty (Illustrator)

Overview

Lister and Lester are identical twins who do identical things. But their constant striving to outdo each other means their little brother, Liam, is always left out. When Lester’s Lemonade Universe and Lister’s Lemonade Multiverse open for business, there’s no role for Liam. He does odd jobs around the neighborhood while Lister and Lester’s competition spirals into overdrive and their lemonade stands get increasingly, outrageously out of hand.

But then Liam takes a stand with his own business venture — a simple model based on his observations of what not to do — and gives the twins a run for their money. Illustrated with lively cartoon-style art highlighting the hilarious one-upmanship, this is a spirited underdog story about siblings and strategic thinking.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781771471619
Publisher:	OWLKIDS BOOKS
Publication date:	03/14/2017
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	7.60(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

TROY WILSON has had a number of stories published in children’s magazines, including Chirp and chickaDEE. Liam Takes a Stand is his fourth picture book. He never ran a lemonade stand as a kid, and he claims he never competed with his younger brother — except when they played video games. Troy lives in Victoria, British Columbia.

Josh Holinaty is an illustrator whose works include public art commissions and book, magazine and newspaper illustrations. His previous books include the Norma Fleck Award finalist A Beginner's Guide to Immortality: From Alchemy to Avatars. Josh lives in Edmonton, Alberta, with his wife Genevieve and their dog, Jack, eater of socks.

Editorial Reviews

"Offering solid lessons in commerce and sibling cooperation, along with satisfying shots of humour, Liam Takes a Stand is a winning read-aloud choice."

Quill & Quire

"Parents, teachers, and caregivers can use this amusing book to teach a lesson about what can happen when competition between friends or siblings gets a little out of hand."

Resource Links

"The straightforward text is enhanced by colorful, energetic cartoon-style illustrations...readers will find much to appreciate in this unique take on sibling rivalry and competitiveness."

Booklist

"Perfect for anyone with a competitive friend or sibling, Liam Takes a Stand shows that work, play, and a bit of creativity can make even the fiercest competitions a lot of fun. Highly recommended."

Canadian Review of Materials

"Sibling rivalry has never been so entertaining... A winning combination of both smart and funny."

Foreword Reviews

"The straightforward text is enhanced by colorful, energetic cartoon-style illustrations...readers will find much to appreciate in this unique take on sibling rivalry and competitiveness."

Booklist

04/01/2017
K-Gr 2—Liam's older twin brothers Lister and Lester never have time to play with him. Instead, they are always too busy competing with each other. When Lester opens a lemonade stand, Lister does, too, and neither one will hire Liam, who wants only to help. Determined to prove how hard-working he is, Liam takes odd jobs in the neighborhood, earning mostly cash—and apples from an elderly neighbor. As Lister and Lester continue trying to upstage each other, their respective lemonade stands become more and more outrageous. Meanwhile, Liam uses his profits, including Mrs. Redmond's apples, to open a juice stand of his own, which proves even more successful than his brothers' efforts. After losing all of their money, the twins ultimately beg him to hire them, and in exchange for seven hours a week of playtime, Liam agrees. Thus the siblings find a balance among work, play, and friendly competition. Characters are drawn with wide, owlish eyes and a variety of skin tones; bold black lines, bright colors, and a clean, graphic style make the cartoon illustrations appealing. VERDICT While this title is not a first purchase, budding entrepreneurs and readers with rivalrous siblings are bound to find it entertaining.—Lauren Strohecker, McKinley Elementary School, Elkins Park, PA

School Library Journal

2016-12-26
Spurned by his hypercompetitive big brothers, little Liam trumps their business plan.Identical twins Lister and Lester are constantly trying to outdo each other, leaving Liam, who only wants to play, on the outs. So when they set up rival lemonade stands, borrow money from their parents to market their drinks, and reject his offer to help, off he goes to do odd jobs on his own and save his earnings (which include, from one neighbor, baskets of apples). Then, when he judges the twins' businesses have peaked, he opens "Liam's Apple Avenue," selling apple juice with some secret added spices. In no time, his scoffing sibs are out of business, in debt, and applying to him for jobs. After a brisk round of bargaining, he hires them…as employees and as playmates—and "sometimes," Wilson concludes, "they competed." Holinaty's illustration for this final tweak is just a generic view of the three brothers' faces, so visually at least the episode ends with more of a thud than a zing. Refreshingly, though, along with plenty of variation in hair and skin color in group scenes, the popeyed central trio in the cartoon illustrations is a warm, medium brown. Hard work, thrift, and ingenuity add up to success not only in business, but social relations too. (Picture book. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews