The Best Worst Brother
Author: Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen
Illustrator: Charlotte Fremaux
Illustrator: Charlotte Fremaux
Grade Level: 1-3
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Awards: None
Summary: This is the story of a young girl and her brother. The young girl notices early on that her brother is different. He is unable to speak and has to use sign language to communicate. He has tantrums that seem more extreme than most boys his age. When the girl invites her parents to her open house, she is nervous to see they brought her brother along. She didn't know what he might do to embarrass her. When her teacher offers her brother a cookie, he takes it and throws it at her. The teacher lovingly responds by telling the family of her own brother. Her brother too had down syndrome. In the end, the young girl realizes just how much she loves her little brother.
Evaluation: I enjoyed this book. I like how the author chose to tell the story from the sisters perspective. Its important not to forget about the challenge a sibling may face having a sibling who has down syndrome. As much as they may love their sibling, life may look a little hectic at time. I would include this in my classroom because I think students would be able to relate to it.
The grade appropriateness is between first and third grade. The words are easy to read and understand. The sentences flow nicely and they do not overcrowd a single page.
Even with middle school, you could use this book as a read aloud. You could use the read aloud to set the tone for how you expect your class to be respectful by reading this book toward the beginning of the school year. Make sure students know that every peer of theirs deserves to be respected, whether they have a disability or not.
Summary: This is the story of a young girl and her brother. The young girl notices early on that her brother is different. He is unable to speak and has to use sign language to communicate. He has tantrums that seem more extreme than most boys his age. When the girl invites her parents to her open house, she is nervous to see they brought her brother along. She didn't know what he might do to embarrass her. When her teacher offers her brother a cookie, he takes it and throws it at her. The teacher lovingly responds by telling the family of her own brother. Her brother too had down syndrome. In the end, the young girl realizes just how much she loves her little brother.
Evaluation: I enjoyed this book. I like how the author chose to tell the story from the sisters perspective. Its important not to forget about the challenge a sibling may face having a sibling who has down syndrome. As much as they may love their sibling, life may look a little hectic at time. I would include this in my classroom because I think students would be able to relate to it.
The grade appropriateness is between first and third grade. The words are easy to read and understand. The sentences flow nicely and they do not overcrowd a single page.
Even with middle school, you could use this book as a read aloud. You could use the read aloud to set the tone for how you expect your class to be respectful by reading this book toward the beginning of the school year. Make sure students know that every peer of theirs deserves to be respected, whether they have a disability or not.
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