Good Night, Sister

February 13, 2023
When big sister Kat moves to a solo “big girl room,” younger sibling Tina worries: “I’ve never slept in our room without you. What if I get scared?” By means of reassurance, Kat generously offers to leave her stuffies with Tina: “They’ve already helped me. And now they can help you, too.” Leo the Lion, Moo Cow, Uni the Unicorn, and others are each called out for a “special power” and featured in gentle narrative spreads that showcase the light-skinned sisters playing together alongside each toy (“Endlessly creative” Ollie the Octopus looks on while the sisters make art). Kat further recommends a catchy chant: “Have no fear,/ with stuffies near./ They’ll keep me safe throughout the night,” Schwarzenegger Pratt writes. But even as the rhymes offer solace, a thunderstorm tests both girls’ mettle and highlights the power of their bond. In pastel hues and soft-edged domestic scenes, Fleming’s art echoes the text’s tenderness for a celebration of sisterhood. Ages 3–7.