Best Older Sister, the (FCC)

This First Choice Chapter Book by the author of The Year of Impossible Goodbyes reprises a topic frequently visited in picture books: an older child's resentment of the attention a younger sibling receives. Kiju has undeniably usurped Sunhi's focal position in her loving Korean American family. Her grandmother, Halmoni, is too busy caring for the baby while her parents work to meet the girl after school each day with a snack; and visitors ignore Sunhi while they make a fuss over Kiju. Even worse, some guests think boys are more important than girls. Not surprisingly, all is resolved happily, but not without some redundant exposition of Sunhi's feelings. The book's greatest asset is Wright and Hu's (illustrators of Zora Hurston and the Chinaberry Tree) resonant, realistic art. Featured on most spreads, their well-lit watercolors neatly convey the key characters' changeable emotions, from Halmoni's concern at Sunhi's initial anger to the newly placated girl's delight in making her brother smile for the camera. Ages 5-8. (Feb.)