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Big Sister, Little Monster

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A fierce and funny celebration of the ups and downs of having a sibling! "Monstrous sisterly fun." -- Kirkus Reviews Lucy thinks her little sister, Mia, is a monster. She follows Lucy everywhere, wreaks havoc in her room, and steals her spotlight. When at last Lucy has had enough, she yells, "You little monster, GO AWAY!"But Lucy never imagines that Mia might disappear into a land of REAL monsters! What's a big sister to do?This riotous, honest, and affectionate story will strike a wildly familiar chord with siblings of all ages!

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 12, 2017

2 people are currently reading
270 people want to read

About the author

Andria Warmflash Rosenbaum

15 books26 followers

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5 stars
27 (19%)
4 stars
39 (28%)
3 stars
54 (39%)
2 stars
15 (11%)
1 star
1 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
Profile Image for Jenn Lopez.
470 reviews14 followers
August 2, 2018
I grabbed this book because the character look like me and my sister AND she LOVED frogs as a kid. She used to catch them, put yarn around their necks and take them for walks. Ewww. Just like in the book, I would rescue my sister from the monsters, too.
Profile Image for Abigail.
8,062 reviews272 followers
February 24, 2020
Exasperated with her little sister Mia, who follows her everywhere and imitates everything she does, Lucy calls her a monster, and tells her to go away. But when Mia disappears for real, and Lucy, having gone looking for her, finds her surrounded by real monsters, suddenly this older sister discovers that she isn't ready to surrender her pesky younger sibling. Suddenly, Lucy discovers that she too has a little monster in her...

A sweet story of two sisters, and the loving bond that exists between them, despite the every-day kinds of argument that frequently occur between siblings of different ages, Big Sister, Little Monster is a book that pairs an entertaining story with appealing, attention-grabbing artwork. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Edwin Fotheringham's illustrations, but his use of a vivid, deep color palette, and alternation between white and black page backgrounds, really made the visuals here stand out. Recommended to anyone looking for fun sibling stories for the picture-book audience.
Profile Image for Lokesh Kolisetty.
1 review
January 30, 2019
Siblings are a part of life. People may like them or dislike them, but they’re important. The character, Lucy learns that having someone is better than having no one, and everything doesn’t come for granted. “Big sister, Little monster”, by Andria Warmflash Rosenbaum shows this through when Lucy is with and without her sister, Mia.
In the story, “Big sister, Little monster”, having no one with you isn’t fun. Some minutes after Mia suddenly disappears, Lucy doesn’t feel right, uncomfortable. In the text, it states, “But after a while, it felt quiet. Too quiet. No one followed Lucy’s lead. And a show starring one wasn’t much fun.” This explains that Mia would solve her problems because she would always be loud and follow Lucy, as said in the beginning. “She followed Lucy everywhere.” plus “And sometimes she stole Lucy’s spotlight.”


Profile Image for Susan.
88 reviews
October 8, 2017
The splashy, alive and kicking illustrations drew me in and kept me turning the pages on this delightful story, with a monstrously exciting twist.
Big Sister complains of her little sister, the monster, until her little sister disappears.
Profile Image for Jana.
2,601 reviews47 followers
September 21, 2017
My sister is three years older than I am and we fought all the time when we were younger. Young readers with siblings will definitely recognize themselves in this story about two sisters who are very different from each other and sometimes don't get along. Mia follows Lucy everywhere and is always in her stuff. Sometimes Lucy just wants some peace and quiet and Mia always seems to be making a mess. So one day, Lucy's had it with Mia and calls her a monster and tells her to go away. Be careful what you wish for! At first Lucy enjoys relaxing without all of Mia's racket, but after a while it becomes clear that Mia's taken up with a bunch of real monsters and Lucy isn't welcome. Young readers will enjoy finding out what it takes to bring out Lucy's inner monster. This could be a great mentor text to help kids write about their own siblings and family members.
Profile Image for Rebecca Gomez.
Author 7 books34 followers
February 28, 2019
Pretty cute story about the big sister, little sister relationship.
9 reviews
September 24, 2017
This book was really cute, and my daughter could really identify with the feelings about siblings. We love s it so much that we passed it on to another little girl we know that has little brothers. We thought she would love it just as much. The best part...it about little girls and they aren't princesses or heroines that need rescuing!
Profile Image for Ariel.
Author 16 books45 followers
September 19, 2017
A delightful look at the dynamics of a sibling relationship, with a wonderful twist! As a younger sister, and an admittedly former little monster, I loved reading this!
Profile Image for Akoss.
559 reviews56 followers
March 13, 2018
@Kidlitexchange #partner - I received a copy of this book from the Kidlitexchange network in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

When you have brothers and/or sisters you have no privacy or quiet moment for yourself unless you fight for it with teeth and claws. Sometimes fighting for those precious private moments make us say things we don’t really mean. Lucy finds out the hard way when she wishes her bothersome little sister Mia away and her wish becomes true.

This book goes straight to the point in addressing the dynamics of sibling relationships. Of course this current situation is somewhat typical even though pretty common. I love how Lucy had to confront the reality that she actually cared a whole lot about her sister Mia in order to get her back. The cheerful colors used in the illustration help offset the serious undertone of the story.

This is an excellent book to read with your little ones if you find that they bicker a lot and quite often.
Profile Image for Debbie.
1,025 reviews11 followers
February 7, 2018
Lucy is getting really tired of her little sister following her everywhere, making messes, getting in her space and even sometimes getting all the spotlight. Finally, in desperation, she cries, “You little monster . . . GO AWAY!!!” Mia, her younger sister leaves. Whew! Lucy is finally alone to enjoy life her way. But is it possible that life becomes a little too quiet? But where is Mia?

Cons: None

Pros: Though the outcome may seem familiar, the story is creative and just right for siblings. The bright illustrations dim to drab when Lucy realizes things might be too quiet and not as much fun.
Profile Image for ♥♣Mary♦♠ If She So Pleases.
1,446 reviews5 followers
January 27, 2022
I picked it up because from a quick glance, I thought it said "Big Sister, Little Sister." As for the writing, it is just a bit divisive and biased. The cliche of the little sister being annoying doesn't hold much weight. Older sisters can be really mean and should know better. It's sad when you see that siblings don't get along as adults because they didn't develop a relationship as children.

The writing might be enjoyed by some but not others. Very few words per page.

The illustrations look like they were done with windows paint.
Profile Image for Asho.
1,866 reviews13 followers
September 11, 2018
S picked this out at the library because he was amused by the title when I read it to him. He paged through it himself a few times during quiet time but didn't actually ask to read it until the night before it was due back to the library. I liked the illustrations. Nice colors, eye-catching, good emotion. But the text didn't impress me much. It's definitely a story that has been told before. But I think S could relate to this as the older sibling to two sisters.
Profile Image for Hanna.
435 reviews
January 19, 2022
Storytelling at the storybook level is perfect. Starts with the seed of monster as it grows. Then the conflict until the climax tie into the true seed of sister!!

Colors, scenes, drawings, emotions all very concise.

Creative at the climax you will see. Make sure you read at the appropriate TONE!
Profile Image for Pam.
10.1k reviews57 followers
November 28, 2017
An older sister struggles with her little sister constantly being with her. The rivalry takes the expected twist when the older sister discovers it's too quiet without her. She finds her and brings her back from the monsters. Happy ending as they play together again.
Profile Image for Juliana Lee.
2,272 reviews41 followers
February 21, 2018
Sometimes a little sister can be a bit of a monster, but when she disappears you might miss her. It turns out she's playing with real monsters who aren't afraid of you, until you channel your inner monster and get your sister back.
Profile Image for Anthony.
7,400 reviews33 followers
November 3, 2019
A familiar tale of siblings, one who thinks one is a pest, and the other who just wants to have fun. Lucy thinks Mia, is a little monster who is always underfoot. When Mia goes missing, Lucy has to release her inner monster to rescue Mia.
Profile Image for BlackhamBooks.
249 reviews9 followers
October 18, 2024
Cute little story showing a shift in a sibling relationship. Big sister annoyed with little sister, but when little sister isn't around ... finds that's not what she really wants. Add in adorable illustrations and some MONSTERS. It was cute!
Profile Image for Hannah.
46 reviews13 followers
September 26, 2017
A cute, fun little read!

i won a copy in a goodreads giveaway
Profile Image for Serina.
1,559 reviews25 followers
January 9, 2018
Nice vivid illustrations with strong, simple plot of sisterhood. Good book!
Profile Image for Christina Bartell.
59 reviews
March 15, 2018
Incredible illustrations!!!! Sweet story of how a big sister comes to realize how much she needs her little monster.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
1,036 reviews
May 15, 2018
Made me think of The Monstore, Wolfie the Bunny, and Where the Wild Things Are, but only like an homage.
1,329 reviews
July 6, 2018
Fine. Great colorful illustrations but the plot didn’t really grab me. Difficulty of siblings not always getting along, but no strong message or lesson other than you will always be sisters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews