My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother

MY ROTTEN REDHEADED OLDER BROTHER, written and illustrated by Patricia Polacco, is a fun and engaging story that could be enjoyed by children of all ages. Polacco perfectly captures the silly side of sibling rivalry that many people, myself included, can relate to. The story is about a little girl who can't stand her older brother - mainly because he can do everything better than her. He can run the fastest, spit the farthest, get the dirtiest, pick the most black berries, and even eat the most rhubarb. And she can't take it anymore! After learning from her grandmother that wishes made on a fallen star will come true, she waits all night until at last a shooting start streaks across the sky. The little girl wastes no time in making her show more wish - that she will finally do something, anything, better than her brother. The next day her wish comes true, although not how anyone would have expected. By the end of the story, she realizes the perhaps her redheaded older brothers isn't so rotten after all. I personally liked this story very much. There were several times while reading it that I couldn't help but laugh out loud. I really enjoyed the dialogue between the brother and sister. I felt like the back and forth arguments were very realistic and it conjured up some memories of very similar arguments with my older sister. I also liked that the older brother didn't fail to remind his sister, several times, that he was four years older - always had been and always would be. This snide little phrase seems to be very characteristic of older siblings. I was surprised and delighted by the how complete the character development seemed to be, despite this being a short children's book. I also thoroughly enjoyed looking at the illustrations. They definitely helped with the character development and the style of art seemed to mirror the little girl's style of speaking. I think this book would be a blast to read aloud in the classroom, especially because you can play around with different voices during the dialogue. This story has a good message about the special bond betweens siblings and the importance of family. show less

This book captures the young sibling rivalry most siblings have so incredibly well. Polacco creates very believable characters that many people could relate to. This book doesn't personally speak to me, but I can see it in my younger siblings. I didn't have a sister until I was ten years old, then my brother came along five years later, so I never really developed the traditional sibling relationship people think of, my siblings look up to me more than see me as a sibling in the way they see each other. I love the protagonists emotions spilling out onto the page. Polacco does such a good job using descriptors to show how she feels, calling her brother's smile "extra-rotten, weasel-eyed, greeny-toothed". This is such a heartfelt story, show more one I think any siblings close in age should read together. I also love seeing elements of Polacco popping up in her books again and again, this time being the belief that if they let go of the grass, they'll float off into the stars. show less

Patricia Polacco is a very talented author and storyteller, which is why I really enjoyed reading this book. First, I really liked how the narrator described her brother because it was very detailed and quite funny. The way she referred to as a "weasel with glasses" and her "rotten red-headed older brother" was not only funny, but engaging for the reader. I really liked the dialogue between the siblings when they would get into arguments because it seemed so realistic, and i could actually picture the scene playing out in my head. The overall language of the story is effective because it's being told from the narrator's perspective, not the author's. The story would not be as engaging if it were written in third person. I think the show more overall message from this book is that siblings, no matter how much they fight, will always be there for each other in the end. Despite the fact that Richard loved to gloat about the fact that he was better at his sister at everything, he still helped her when she fell off the merry-go-round and was kind to her. I think this would be terrific book for elementary school students with older siblings close in age because kids are very competitive at that age. show less

Patrica Polacco turns once again to her childhood (surprise, surprise) for inspiration in this engaging picture-book exploration of sibling rivalry, based on her relationship with her older brother Richard. Growing up on her maternal grandparents' Michigan farm, young Trisha longed to find something that she could do better than Richie - that intolerably smug older brother who bested her at everything, always with a smirk on his face, and always with a reminder that he was four years her elder, and always would be. Would Trisha ever beat her rotten redheaded older brother? And did she really want to...?

Although I wouldn't say that My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother is one of my favorites, of Polacco's many autobiographical picture-books, show more I think it offers a very realistic depiction of a younger sibling's frustration, at always being 'behind' their elder brothers and sisters. Children in that position will undoubtedly identify with Trisha, and will (possibly) be comforted by the happy ending, and the idea that (eventually) they will be friends with their elder sibling. show less

Patricia Polacco writes this story inspired in her childhood experiences. The story is about she and her brother when they were little. They used to compete on everything and her brother used to tease her and make fun of her. Finally, their relationship takes an unexpected twist when she has an accident and her brother takes care of her. When she finds out what happened, it helps her to realize that not matter how many years apart they are or who is better at things, her family still loves each other unconditionally. Most siblings go through this competition and teasing face and I think this book is a great tool to address that issue and help the students understand that they are still loved.

Like many of Polacco's other books, I loved reading this book. There is something in the way that Polacco writes and illustrates her books that make it so easy for the reader to put themselves in her books. This book is very engaging because it revolves around something that most people can relate to, sibling rivalry. Her descriptions and details are perfect for the ages of the characters in the book, for example, "Richard gave me one of his extra-rotten, weasel-eyed, greeny-toothed grins." This is an exceptional example of how a young girl would describe her tough-to-love older brother. Polacco also includes personal family photos of her and her brother, Richard, bringing this story and her experiences to life. This book was very fun show more to read and shares a bigger message to its readers, that competition and rivalry are inevitable, but it is important to remember that family comes first. This is illustrated when Patricia falls and seriously hurts herself competing with her brother and Richard immediately helps his sister. show less

I love reading true stories to my nieces. I get to stop and say that yes, yes, yes - THIS story REALLY happened! And boy, is it fun!

So this is based upon something that actually happened to the author. Now, I will say before I continue with this review that Polacco is... verbose. She doesn't write picture books for the potty training crowd (unless they have a VERY good attention span), but for kids who can sit down through a whole book and be read to, the older end of the 4 - 8 age range. Keep this in mind when purchasing.

With that said, if your kid is in the right age range, this is THE book on siblings to get. (Because it's true, and also because it's a good story.) Poor Trisha. Her older brother is always outdoing her. Whatever he show more says he'll do more of than she will - he goes ahead and does it! And if she starts it, he STILL wins. (He's four years older than her, and he always will be, but did that have to make him so annoying?? Sheesh!)

When he says he'll pick more berries - he does. When she says she will eat more raw rhubarb - he still does. (And then it's rhubarb pie for dessert. Ugh, don't you just hate that?) She finally has to resort to making wishes.

Now, I find it interesting that when she stayed on the merry-go-round longer than her brother did, they didn't engage in the little "Can!" "Can't!" fight beforehand. Maybe if she'd told him of his intentions first, it would be quite a different story. Regardless, she stays on until she literally falls off and cuts her head open. And her brother saves her. (Awww.)

It's a great story, it really is, and very realistic. (That's because it's true, and also because she's a good author.) Love the arguments the siblings have - I've had more than a few of those in my life! show less