Just Me and My Little Brother

Little Critter

by Mercer Mayer

Little critter imagines all the things he and his little brother will be able to do.

Little Critter is thinking about all the things he and his new little brother will do together in this classic, funny, and heartwarming book. Whether the brothers go trick-or-treating, build a snowman, or ride bikes together, both parents and children alike will relate to this beloved story. A perfect way to celebrate the special bond between brothers!

Mercer Mayer's Little Critter stories, which address all the major issues of growing up, are perennial favorites to generations of readers of readers of all ages.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Family, Fiction, Animals, 2nd Grade, Kids

24 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Mercer Mayer is an American children's author and illustrator. He has published over 300 books, using a wide range of illustrative styles. Mayer is best known for his Little Critter and Little Monster series of books.

Reviews

[Calista]

Little Critter imagines what life will be like for he and his little brother. They will be tough and stop bullies. They will do all kinds of fun things together. But, the little brother has to grow up first and learn to walk.

It’s a cute story. Mercer Mayer understands young kids so well in these beginning stories. They are wonderful.

The nephew read this and thought having a little brother would be fun. He put in an order for one and his mom just laughed at him. He gave this 4 stars.

[Carly Morris]

Gotta go with a classic for book 100 haha

[Sylvia]

I read this because it was mentioned jn "Becoming a Queen. "
This would be a good book for a someone expecting they second boy!

[Kevin Findley]

This was actually a re-read, but the first one was many years ago, when my boys were around the age of Little Critter and Little Brother. The book is one of Mayer's better tales, and should be read by any parent with more than one child.

Little Critter looks at his baby brother and imagines everything they will do once he gets old enough to keep up and take on the world together. Definitely a keeper, but should be passed down when your own Little Critters have some of their own.

[Cynthia Austin]

A solid description of how it was growing up in the 80's with your siblings. Staying up late to watch scary movies, taking down the bully, and playing Cowboys and Indians. As long as you have your family, you can do anything!

This book has traveled with me my entire life, and I enjoy it now just as much as I did when I was a child.

[Luisa Knight]

An older brother is excited to do all kinds of things with his younger brother. Sweet!

Ages: 4 - 7

Cleanliness: there is a page about trick-or-treating. Two pages have contradictory pictures to what the story is saying - about how he'll share his toys with his little brother (the picture shows them not sharing). Overall though, it's sweet and he's looking forward to doing everything with his little brother.

**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it! Visit my website: The Book Radar.

[Robert Beveridge]

Mercer Mayer, Just Me and My Little Brother (Golden Press, 1991)

My favorite of the Little Critter books are the ones with the fantasy aspect, where Critter is imagining what life will be like after some milestone is hit. Just Me and My Little Brother is one of them, with Critter daydreaming about all the fun things he and his little brother will be able to do once little brother is big enough to do any of them. It's gentler than most of the Little Critter books, calmer, and (for me, anyway) more fun to read. Bean seems pretty fond of it, as well. *** ½

[Russell]

Solid aspirational thinking on the part of the narrator, and excellent use of the dishonest narrator toward the end of the novel. No, I'm not referring to the fact that the younger sibling is still an infant, the fact that it's a dream sequence is made clear from the fantasy of the orchard. The lack of harmony depicted for Christmas and Easter's activities contrasts entertainingly with the narrator's spoken positivity surrounding them.

[💖 Gabriella 💖]

I really enjoyed this book and ones like it. I have a younger sister and after reading this book, I myself wanted to do things with her. I know I read it when I was 8, but certain books stick with you and this was one of them :)

[Siskiyou-Suzy]

This book is so cute. I must have read it the most out of all my Little Critter books as a child. It's still very cute -- Little Critter dreaming of all the things he and baby brother will do together. I didn't find out until after I bought it that the last page of my copy is totally destroyed. :(

[Vanessa]

My daughter has me read this book to her about once a month. Great illustrations! There are details in the artwork that depict real life and have provided opportunities to discuss a variety of topics related to family life and the home with my toddler.

[Dawna]

I bought this one and it helped with the "brother bond." Brinton used to read it out loud every week.

[Andrea]

Little critter has a little brother.... he looks forward to doing lots and lots of stuff with his little brother... just not quite yet.

[Karley]

A sweet story that could be used when a student is going to have a baby brother. Also could be used when talking about holidays and their order. An easy read for students.

[Lauren]

This book is great for children especially when they learn to start reading. It teaches great morals and ideals for everyone to have and great general life lessons.

[Adrienne]

So sweet! I loved seeing Little Critter's plans for him and his brother...just as soon as his brother grows up a little.

[Rosa Cline]

Little Critter tells of all the fun and nice things they do together, that is all the things he can't wait to do since his brother has a little growing up to do first.

[Liana]

Best book series ever for children!

[Mary]

Perfect story for my Irish twin toddler/preschooler.

[Trish]

A little critter book about what him and his little brother will do when the baby gets bigger.

[Hannah Debelius]

"Just Me and My Little Brother" by Mercer Mayer is a cute picture book that is geared for children ages three to seven. It is the story of how of big brother plans the agenda for him and his little brother. They will play ball together, celebrate holidays together, etc. As the reader finds out on the last page of the book, his little brother is still just a baby. The characters in this book are very relatable as many children have younger siblings. They can picture themselves doing the same things that these characters do together. The language is very simple, and the illustrations are very clear. The images are cute for the young readers and stand out due to the fact that they are so colorful. You may want to use this book when working with a child who is going to be a big brother or sister in the near future. It tells how the big brother will take care of and almost spoil the younger sibling. You may also want to use this book when learning about holidays as it mentions Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. It is also a good resource when learning about family being a unit.

[Charles]

When my son was little, we both adored the Mercer Meyer Little Critter books. I still have some of the ones. Now we're buying them for our grandsons, and since we have two, we got this one. The two brothers fight a fair amount right now so we want to encourage a little more good feeling between them. This is a very charming little book, as are all of these works. Brought back memories of reading Mercer Mayer to my son.

[Alana]

Definitely one of the better options for siblings that I've come across, as far as focusing on the positive aspects rather than the annoying ones. I love that the older brother is excited about all the things he WILL get to do, rather than all the things his brother CAN'T do yet, or the ways he "takes away" from older brother.

[Ruth]

I've always like Mercer Mayer books, but then I hit this line: "We can play cowboys and Indians and I'll let him catch me." Oops!! Hard to believe that this was still okay in 1991 when this book was published.

[Zoey]

Siblings can be exciting and siblings. Can be hard to be around sometime but I like how this story shows the excitement along with pictures of realism. It’s not easy to be an older brother, but definitely worth it.

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams]

I love all the wonderful things this big brother talks about and does with his little brother.

[Robert]

Great art and with the mouse on each page my son still liked the search for the critter as the book was read, The story was cute but not my personal favorite. This was a good read.

[Alia Near]

This book is so cute. It's about 2 brothers who do things together like playing games and going trick or treating. It's very heartwarming and shows the bond that brothers can have.

[Sarah]

Little Critter tells about all the things he will do with his little brother....just as soon as he learns to walk.

[Kate Carter]

I love the Little Critter books! My oldest was excited to read this before nap, and it made him smile thinking about his little brother.