My Brother and Me

Youngest child Aloush adores his older brother, Ramez, who has lately been preoccupied. After Ramez announces that he’s engaged to marry a woman named Deema, Aloush feels lonely and neglected (“He doesn’t have any time to take me to the mall with Hamoudeh, or to shoot baskets... all because of Deema!”). Amid the family’s wedding planning, Aloush acts up by wearing his smelly soccer uniform when Deema’s family visits and wrapping up his pet hamster in a box to scare her. But Deema, who sports an auburn bob and an authentic smile, passes each test. Fidawi illustrates her characters with long limbs and pink cheeks and noses, making them at once relatable and distinctive. Family relationships change, and feeling left behind can really hurt, Najjar suggests in this sensitive story, but in the end, there’s enough love to go around. Ages 3–up. [em](May) [/em]