The Two Mutch Sisters

by Carol Brendler, Lisa Brown (Illustrator)

Overview

A playful look at sisterhood and honoring differences when having some things in common doesn’t mean having everything in common.

The two Mutch sisters have two of everything, and Violet believes they are as perfectly matched as the objects in their collections.
 
Ruby, however, has other ideas. And she’s ready to do something about them.
 
Carol Brendler and Lisa Brown present a silly, surprising, and insightful tale about staying close while respecting differences as Violet and Ruby prove that sometimes it takes a sister to know what a sister really needs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780544430747
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/13/2018
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Carol Brendler is the author of picture books and novels for middle grade readers. She lives near Chicago, IL. Visit her online at carolbrendlerbooks.com and on Twitter @expectorchids.
 

Lisa Brown is a New York Times bestselling illustrator and author. Books she has illustrated include Goldfish Ghost, by Lemony Snicket, and her own The Airport Book. She lives in San Francisco. Visit her at online at americanchickens.com and on Twitter at @lisabrowndraws.

Editorial Reviews

12/11/2017
Ruby and Violet Mutch are born with the collecting bug and grow up with two of everything: “Two sundials, two snorkels, two bouffant wigs, two whirligigs.” By the time they become adults, and their individual styles have emerged—Ruby is 1960s bohemian, Violet leans toward hygge—there’s too much Mutch stuff. Despite Violet’s pleas, Ruby decamps to her own house on the other side of town. “I have made everything just right,” she tells Violet smugly. “And I like it.” But Violet knows—as only a sister can—that Ruby isn’t as happy as she seems, and she takes matters into her own hands. Ruby’s dismissive treatment of Violet may surprise some readers, but overall Brendler (The Pickwicks’ Picnic) and Brown (Goldfish Ghost) keep the mood light—particularly when it comes to Violet’s methods for bringing about a reunion with her sister (it involves “pneumatic jacks, a stack of sleds, a chest of tools, a pack of mules”). By the story’s end, the message is unmistakable and reassuring: love is thicker than clutter. Ages 4–7. Author’s agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Charlotte Sheedy, Charlotte Sheedy Literary. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"Brown’s signature ink-line-and-watercolor illustrations, in a clean and clear style, are enjoyable and provide details to spot and motifs to follow, and the many interesting words like crinoline, bouffant, glockenspiel, and spittoon make it feel idiosyncratically homey."—Booklist "Sisters with too much learn to appreciate their differences in this lighthearted, tongue-in-cheek tale."—Kirkus "By the story’s end, the message is unmistakable and reassuring: love is thicker than clutter."—Publishers Weekly "A colorful picture book for classroom libraries that will be an instant favorite with readers who enjoy a comical view of siblings."—School Library Journal —

From the Publisher

02/01/2018
PreS-Gr 2—Two sisters began collecting items at a very young age and continued into their adult years. Eventually their collection grows until "the house they shared was stuffed to the shingles." Ruby Mutch decides to move out. Violet has to work through her sadness of not living with one another. Eventually, they move next door to one another. The illustrations are bright and eye-catching while demonstrating the overwhelming nature of their collections pages are cluttered with illustrated items the girls own. This gives young readers a feel of how crowded the shared home had become with all their belongings. This picture book would be an entertaining read-aloud for elementary age readers. Ruby Mutch and Violet have a strong bond, and young readers with siblings will enjoy a story about two sisters who grow up to live beside one another. VERDICT A colorful picture book for classroom libraries that will be an instant favorite with readers who enjoy a comical view of siblings.—April Sanders, Spring Hill College, Mobile, AL

School Library Journal

2017-12-03
When the titular two Mutch sisters finally collect too much, one sister moves into her own house, prompting the other to make her own dramatic change.Ruby and Violet Mutch, both white, started their obsessive collecting as little girls. "As the sisters grew, so did their collection" of matched possessions, including sundials and snorkels, clavichords and canoes, gargoyles and glockenspiels, until their house "was stuffed to the shingles with two of everything." Eventually, an overwhelmed Ruby strikes out on her own, moving her half of the collection to her own new house on the other side of town, where she arranges it as she wants. Ruby's pleased she's "made everything just right" but feels something's missing and isn't sure what until Violet unleashes a bold plan to ensure the Mutch sisters "never had too much of anything" and just enough of each other. The title's clever wordplay, the paired collections of bizarre items, and the visually jam-packed pages reinforce the theme of "too much." Cartoonlike ink-and-watercolor illustrations use bold outlines, bright colors, and whimsical details to chronicle the Mutch sisters' amusing journey from fledging collectors to full-fledged hoarders and from separation (traced through a double-page map) to contented reunion. Sisters with too much learn to appreciate their differences in this lighthearted, tongue-in-cheek tale. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Review