cover image Mother, You're the Best! (But Sister, You're a Pest!)

Mother, You're the Best! (But Sister, You're a Pest!)

Diane de Groat, . . HarperCollins, $16.99 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-06-123899-4

Mother's Day brings yet another conundrum to the never-dull life of series star Gilbert (Roses Are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink ; Happy Birthday to You, You Belong in a Zoo ). Preparing breakfast in bed for his mother, the well-intentioned possum burns the toast, spills cereal all over the kitchen table and drenches his handmade card in orange juice. And when he delivers the food, younger sister Lola is curled up with their mother, who is admiring Lola's scribbled card. Jealous, Gilbert manages to keep his sister away from his mother all day—with unintended happy consequences. Lola is delighted by the unprecedented attention, and his mother is thrilled at the downtime. Full-bleed, large-scale illustrations convey the intermittently disgruntled and long-suffering hero's moods. Even without the peer tension that propels a number of deGroat's earlier Gilbert tales, this is a winning addition. Ages 3-8. (Mar.)