Wendie C. Old

"Stacy Had a Little Sister," is about a little girl named Stacy who is now a big sister. Her mom and dad had another baby and they named her Ashley. Stacy's father brought home pictures of Ashley for Stacy and her Gramma to see. He even gave Stacy her very own Ashley picture to keep. Stacy wasn't sure she liked her new baby sister. After her mother and Ashley got home from the hospital, everyone came over and made a big fuss over the baby. Stacy asked her father when would Ashley be able to show more play with her. Her father told her to wait and see, she will grow. So, Stacy waited and waited and waited. Ashley was a few months old but still not old enough to play with Stacy. Sometimes, Stacy loved Ashley, but other times she was angry when her parents spent time taking care of Ashley and didn't give her any attention. One morning, Stacy woke up early and heard someone crying, but it wasn't Ashley. It was her Gramma crying. Stacy was confused and wondered why Gramma was over in the middle of the night. Then, her mother told her that something bad had happened to Ashley; she died in her sleep. The next couple of days confused Stacy and she overheard Uncle Don talking to her parents about something called SIDS; Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. After Ashley's funeral, things at home changed. Both of her parents cried a lot, her mother yelled at her father and her father stopped talking to almost everyone. That made Stacy wonder if Ashley died because of her. Stacy was afraid to go to sleep, not knowing if she would wake up, or if she would get SIDS and die. Her parents assured her that she could not get SIDS as they grieved over Ashley's death. They also explained to her that Ashley's death was not her fault.

I decided to read this book with my daughter since she is always telling me that she wants a baby sister. From looking at the cover and the title of the book, I assumed the story would be about Stacy adjusting to the changes of a new baby sister. We began to read the book and compliment the illustrations. As I was reading aloud to my daughter, the text said, "She died, Stacy, Daddy said. She died in her sleep." I paused in shock and just looked at my daughter. At first, I couldn't believe that the book had such a devastating tragedy, especially since it is a children's book. As I thought about the issue, I realized that although the tragedy is heartbreaking, there are children that are forced to face issues like this. Therefore, I began reading aloud to my daughter where I left off. She noticed the sadness that Stacy and her family faced and asked me what is SIDS. When we read books, were used to happy endings. In this case, this book can show readers that sometimes things don't always turn out as we planned and there are children in the world that are forced to face issues similar to this in their daily lives. show less

Stacy Had A Little Sister is about a little baby named Ashley who dies of SIDS a few months after her birth. Her big sister Stacy doesn't understand what caused her death so her parents try their best to explain. Stacy initially has guilt but then tries to come to an understanding of the mysterious disease that took her sister before she could grow big enough to play with her. I think this book did a great job explaining what it could in kid-friendly language and letting the child be a part show more of her sister's burial process and all. It is good to not hide such a natural and life changing event from a kid, yet help them understand it. show less

Technically a picture book, but packed full of information about the Wright Brothers and their journey to the first successful manned flight in 1903. The ideas especially important to the challenges of human flight and the character and working relationship of the brothers are presented with simplicity and clarity. A main focus of the book are the human beings and the human experience at the heart of scientific inventions.

I like how this book makes the readers aware of sudden infant death syndrome. The book is highly informative.

I also enjoyed the structure of the book. The book takes you through the birth of Stacy’s infant sister to the death of her sister. You can feel the emotion throughout the book that Stacy has towards her infant sister. The book touches your heart. You can honestly feel the hate Stacy has for her little sibling to the pain she feels when her infant sibling dies. The book is also show more written through Stacy’s point of view. I think it was a great addition to the story to have it written through the child’s eyes. By the book being written in Stacy’s point of view I believe it can be a relatable read for other children. This book is written in first person point of view.

Stacy becomes more understanding of her siblings death. However, Stacy does not agree with her siblings death. Stacy expresses in the book that she does not like the death of her sibling.

This book was a wonderful read. show less