Stanley's Little Sister by Linda Bailey, illustrated by Bill Slavin

Nobody asked Stanley if he wanted a cat in his house. His house wasn't supposed to have cat! But a cat there is. Stanley tries to be friendly anyhow, but it just gets him into more and more and more trouble. Stanley's friends give him lots of advice, but none of it works...until something unexpected happens.

The illustrations aren't my personal favorite, but they'll definitely appeal to kids with their scratchy, cartoonish quality and the humorously splay-legged dogs.

There's a nice rhythm to the plot as it builds and kids will enjoy listening to each disaster that strikes Stanley until he finally makes friends with the cat.

Verdict: There are quite a few "dealing with new sibling" picturebooks out there using the "new cat in a house with a dog" analogy, but if you need another one, this is a humorous look at the issue that kids will probably enjoy.


ISBN: 978-1554534876; Published September 2010 by Kids Can Press; Review copy provided by the publisher through Raab Associates