Shirley Hughes
Picture Book
Ages 3 to 6
Random House UK , 2003, 978-0099408567
Annie Rose is a little girl and she is a little sister. Like all little sisters, she wants her big brother to play with her, to read to her, and to share his friends with her. Annie Rose’s big brother tells us all about his little sister, and he is delightfully honest about her. We can quickly see that though she can be very exasperating at times, he loves her very much indeed. The little boy knows all her funny ways, the games she plays, and what she likes to do. He is ready to admit that she is good at playing, but he also offers up the information that he finds it "very annoying" that she "always wants to play with my toys. She seems to like them better than her own."
With her signature illustrations, Shirley Hughes has created yet another wonderful book about childhood and the doings of children. She seems to be able to understand all the things that are important to a small child, and puts them together in such a way that we have a complete and rounded picture of a certain child's small, very important, little world. There are the toys and books, best friends, daisy chains, trips to the beach, temper tantrums, and all those significant things that make up the daily happenings in a child's life.