As a grandmother, I purchase this book for each family expecting a second child. (There is also an "I'm a Big Sister" version). It is a GREAT way to give the older brother a separate identity. I highly recommend it.

Reviewed by Cayden Aures (age 5 ½) and Mom for Reader Views (02/10)

In "I'm A Big Brother" there is a new baby in the house which means that there are a lot of changes. The book goes over everything that a new baby does and ways that a big brother can help out in the baby's care. It also assures them that they are still special to mom and dad!

Cayden: "I remember when my brother came home from the hospital and I got to hold him. We have pictures of me doing that! I was happy to have a new brother to play with! Babies are little and can't do much in the beginning but then they get bigger and can play. I like being a big brother!"

Parent's comments:

"I'm A Big Brother" by Joanna Cole would be a wonderful book to prepare a young boy for the arrival of a new baby brother or sister. What a great way to help ease the worry of this transitional time and to help get an older brother excited about the new arrival!

This book gets a lot right. It smartly fosters a sense of pride in becoming an older sibling. It stresses that newborns aren't capable of walking, talking, or playing. It emphasizes they mostly sleep, feed, and cry. I like that it suggests older siblings ask a parent before handling a baby. Just be aware that it doesn't show breastfeeding - only bottle-feeding. Not a problem if you don't intend to nurse, but if you are going to breastfeed a better resource might be Annie Kubler's "My New Baby."

I purchased "I'm a Big Brother" for my 3 year old grandson who just became a big brother in August, 2009.

I had it sent to my house because I watch him and his little brother 2 days a week. I wanted him to feel important now that the baby arrived. I told him I had ordered this book specifically for him. He wanted me to read it too him immediately. I did so. He loved the story and pointed out pictures in the book that he, himself, had already done. Holding the baby on his lap, helping feed the baby his bottle and running to get Mommy a diaper so she could change the baby.

He was very excited about seeing things he had done printed in the book. For about 3 weeks after he first saw the book, he wanted me to read it to him everytime he came over to our house. It made him feel very important; which was the main goal.

I think any new 'big brother' would enjoy this book and I highly recommend it.

Sincerely,

Esther Ann

Perfect book for a big brother in training! I can't wait to give it as a gift.

My son loves the book. He is 4yrs old and is ready to welcome his baby sister and help me with everything.

This book is beyond words! It was one of the surprises from the new baby to my older child. He couldn't get enough of the book and would point out things in the book that we did together. Even now, after he has had the book for 8 months, he will recall and see things around the home and say "... you, know, just like in my book!" I think it worked well with the transition of the new baby coming home. I've even purchased this book for a friend of mine who recently had her 2nd baby and I will continue to give as gifts to the new big siblings! A+++

I bought this book for my 3.5 year old son to prepare for the arrival of his little sister. He loves this book and we read it several times a week. It is not too long or too wordy. The pictures are cute too. The concepts are easy to understand for a 3.5 year old.

This big brother is only 2 1/2 years old. It's a great way for a toddler to realize how important he is to his little brother or sister. It's a nice opposite of the jealously that the big brother will experience. And, it's nice that the big brother gets a gift, when the new baby is getting a gift.

Very pleased with the quality and content of the book. Just what I needed to read to my grandson who just had a little sister.

I bought this book at the suggestion of a friend. So far, my just-turned-2-year-old son seems to like it. He even selects it himself upon occasion. His brother isn't due for three more months, though, so the helpfulness of this book remains to be seen! :)

My son is 25 months old and is expecting a new brother or sister next month. I'm not sure if he really understands it all yet, but this book has been fun to read and he knows the concept of big brother now. Good find - def. recommend it for anyone with a toddler expecting another child.

When we first picked up this book for my three-year-old, we thought it was a pretty great book. My 3-year-old loved it, and even memorized it. He requested that we read it several times a day. Then the new baby came, and I started seeing the problems with the book. For instance, as others have noted, the baby in this book eats from a bottle, and the big brother can help. Since we are nursing, this is not an option for my son and he is seemingly constantly asking why he can't help (if he didn't love the book so much I would just make it disappear at this point, because it seems very contradictory for me to tell him that we don't use a bottle and then to read to him that the baby drinks from a bottle). It is also bothersome that the mother in this book NEVER holds the baby. The brother and father both hold the baby, and we see her in a stroller and in a swing, but there is zero interaction between the mother and baby, and that is what is so completely unrealistic for me. I think it's great to promote dads holding babies, changing diapers, and feeding bottles, but it is not realistic to portray the mom has having no involvement at all.

I bought this for my grandson who has some worries about his life
once his sibling arrives. This is a lovely way to reassure him that he
will always be a very special person in his family.

We bought this book for our 2 1/2 year old to prepare him for his new sibling, and he absolutely loves it. It's the first book he brings to us every night to read. The book's simple language is easy for him to understand, and for the first time he seems to be getting what it means to be a big brother. The book has also helped him understand the HE will be a big brother very soon. And it shows him that he'll still be special to his mommy and daddy, without overemphasizing it (a lot of the books I've seen have tended to play up the insecurities that could arise in having a sibling, which doesn't seem like something that should be brought up if the child isn't having issues with this). The only drawback I saw to this book is that the baby in the story is bottle fed, and our new baby won't be. So I just insert a word and say the baby likes "mommy's milk" instead of just "milk."

The day this book came in the mail, my son who's almost four and who has always loved books tore the packaging off of the book and asked me to read it to him immediately. I read it to him every night for a week per his request. I love how this book is simple, gender-specific and very age-appropriate (it says 2-5 years). My son's favorite part is the description of the baby as being too little to walk, talk, etc. We have been getting him ready for the arrival of the baby since day one (he's been to every prenatal visit) and this book helped him some more. He looked at the picture of the I'm a Big Sister Book in the back cover and he said he wanted to get that too for his cousin who recently became a big sister. I highly recommend this book for kids awaiting the birth of their sibling.

My son really likes this book (he's 2) and he calls it the "big brother book." I like that it shows the dad being involved in infant care, but I don't like that it doesn't show the mother doing any infant care at all and that it only shows the baby getting a bottle. I want my kids to see breastfeeding as the normal way to feed a baby. Other than that, it's good.

We received this book from my in-laws for Christmas, and it was a perfect gift. My son is 2 and we are expecting a baby in a few months. My son LOVES this book, and it has already started him on the way to being prepared for the arrival of his new little sister. He is now excited about helping with the baby, and he is always asking if he can hold the baby. We had talked about the baby before, but this book really has helped. My son can't get enough of it, and now recites the words from memory at the same time I read them. I highly recommend this book to expecting families!

We looked around for quite a while for a book like this for our son, who will be 21 months when his baby brother is born, and I'm glad we chose "I'm a Big Brother." The drawings are extremely cute, and the text is upbeat and appropriate for a younger child. It really focuses on the positives of being a big brother (for example, being old enough to play with toys and eat yummy things like pizza and ice cream).

While my son is still pretty little, and I don't know if he really gets the concept of "there's a baby coming to live with us," he seems to enjoy reading this book a lot and likes pointing out the baby, the various toys, etc.

My only complaint is that I would have liked a little less emphasis on the bottle. Whenever we read this, I mention to my son that that's ONE way that babies can eat, but other babies drink milk straight from their mommies, and some babies do both. It's not a huge deal, but I did find it a little annoying that both books we got on this subject (the other is "The New Baby" by Mercer Mayer) have bottle-feeding.

In the hustle and bustle of bringing our new daughter home we hadn't realised we had been given this book for our 21 month old son. So, a few months later we found it and we've been reading it most every night since. As a result of reading this book my son now gives his sister a bottle of water in the afternoon (with just a little assistance), brushes her hair in the morning and is constantly telling people he's a big brother now. He really related to the story and it seemed to help him understand a little better what had changed in terms of his role in the family. We're about to move on to My Big Boy Potty now!!

My 3yr old son loved this book. It helped him understand the importance of being a big brother. Almost a year later and he still pulls the book off the shelf to read. I now buy the book for friends who are having babies. Highly recommend!

I bought this book for my almost 4 year old son, soon to be a big brother. He loves it so much he asks us to read it every night. But the best part is that he is now looking forward to his baby sister being born or as he put it "out of mommy's tummy" and that he understands that she would not be able to play "trucks" with him for a while. He proudly announced to his preschool class that he was going to be a "Big Brother" and that he was going to help mommy make the baby "warm and comfy", just like in his book!

We bought this book for my son (2 years) when I was pregnant with our second child, who was born this past May. While I was pregnant, he wasn't interested in the book and gave a defiant "NO!" whenever I tried to read it- but once the baby came, it quickly became a favorite. My son has it memorized and will "read" it to himself and his baby brother. The book is simple and easy to understand but also gives some good guidance that toddlers can understand (such as needing to ask Mommy first to pick up the baby!). It also focuses on him and not the baby (i.e. "I'm special in a new way- I'm a big brother now!"). This book became an instant favorite when my son recently gave the baby a big hug and whispered, "I love you Brady. I'm your big brother now".

I purchased this book to help prepare my 22 mos old for the birth of his baby sister. He likes it ok and he will sit through it, but he isn't overly thrilled about it. Neither am I, honestly. It is a very basic book and is written so a very young child could understand, but it also isn't very interesting. Also, it isn't really AP friendly. It shows the baby sibling being fed a bottle and being pushed in a stroller. Otherwise, it is written from a positive perspective, which I like. It doesn't talk about negative feelings, it emphasizes positive aspects of having a sibling. I just wish it were a little less dry.

Joanna Cole has done it again! Filled with colorful, eye-catching pictures, this book will keep your son's attention and help prepare him for the baby on the way. I am 7 months pregnant with our second child, and have begun reading this to my 2-year-old to help prepare him to be a big brother. I like the fact that this book is geared to him, and helps introduce him to the concept of "brother" and "sister." Simply written, this book employs large text and basic sentences to hold even the youngest toddler's attention. As usual, Cole provides factual, accurate information, without going into too much detail. The book shows a breastfeeding mom, yet informs children that the new baby may get its milk from either Mommy's breast or from a bottle. I like the fact that the mom is shown nursing the baby, yet the content is not graphic in any way. At the same time, it doesn't alienate families who will be bottle feeding. An excellent choice for your growing family!!

A friend bought this book when my daughter was born. We read it with my son a lot in those early days. My son still likes to read it almost 4 years later.

It is a great book with wonderful pictures. I am buying it now for a friend with a 2nd child.

I purchased this book for my 21 month old son before our daughter was born. She's now 5 1/2 months old, and he LOVES hearing me read this book. I insert his name and my daughter's name, and he just smiles and points to the pictures and gives his own input as well. This book is very easy for him to understand, and he loves looking at the illustrations. We read this book at least once a day, especially before his afternoon nap. I recommend this book to any parent with a young son who is expecting another child.

Great book to help your son understand a he's going to become a "Big Brother" soon. Telling the story using the pictures & your own words, really is powerful with young children.

I got this for my grandson before he became a Big Brother. He loved it.

My nearly three year old loves this book--I find him quoting lines out of it when he talks about our new baby on the way. The text and illustrations are simple enough for him to understand and hold his interest. It is very positive and doesn't bring up jealousy issues but rather emphasizes all the good things about being an older sibling. If you are expecting and are trying to prepare your little one for the upcoming arrival then I do recommend this book.

My son loves this book, and it's illustrations. Both of us love Falwell's We have a baby, but this is a good companion to that for any expectant or newly additioned family. I like that this is "big brother" specific, as that is a special title to the only boy in our family who is quite used to being the baby, lol. A good buy.

This book is a perfect fit for the age group specified, and I am very pleased after purchasing it for my nephew after the birth of a baby brother. The pictures are very detailed and colorful, and the illustrator is wonderful. The story is not too long, and not too simplified to be boring for parents to read over and over again.

I bought this book for my nephew, who's getting a baby brother this spring. I liked the gentle tone of the book, the fact that it shows Dad doing parenting chores, the fact that it doesn't establish the gender of the new baby, allowing you as the reader to use that as a discussion point (or not), etc. The book would best be used as a jumping-off point for talks about what a new baby in the house means: i.e., "this page shows the baby sleeping in a crib. You slept in a crib when you were a baby. Now you have a big-boy bed, right?" or however you want to handle it. Each page could be used like that, if you wanted to, a few weeks apart, to give the child more time for processing and asking questions. (Caveat: If you're in a single-parent, two-mommy, or two-daddy household, you might get questions about who the second parent is in the picture.)

This book has really helped our 3 year old son to understand what being a big brother will be like. He is very excited about having the baby here with us.

We bought this book when I was 6 months pregnant with our second child, when we started really talking about the baby to our son. He's 20 months old now and says 'baby' and 'brother' when he brings us this book to read. When you ask him if he is going to be a big brother, he enthusiastically responds 'Yes!' I know it will still be an adjustment when we bring his brother home in a few weeks, especially since the entire concept is difficult for a toddler, but this book is very positive about how important the role of the older child is in the new family dynamic.

Cute book for a friend's 3 year old as he awaiting the arrival of his baby brother. Great to help reinforce how they can help and also remain special when someone new arrives to share his parents.

This book has helped one little boy become a very good big brother and I have since given another copy to another little boy to help him prepare for his baby sister arriving in a few months. Both little boys enjoy this book and often request it at bedtime. It talks about how Big Brothers get to do different things than babies (like eating ice cream and pizza) and that Big Brothers are very special and are loved by mommy and daddy very much.

My son is just barely 6 and will be a big brother in about 3 weeks. I got this book to help prepare him for the arrival of his baby sister and it was a great purchase. It has helped him understand that the baby will be pretty helpless for a while, and that he can help with the baby. It also talks about how great it is to be the "big kid". It is a simple book that doesn't have a lot of pages. It would definitely be appropriate for younger children.

Great pictures. Just an average book. It is written from the point of view of once the baby is home. At any rate, it helps get your child ready for the coming arrival.

My 21-month-old son loved this book while I was pregnant. When the baby was born, he quoted the book to us many times, going over and over what babies can and cannot do. "Can't walk, can't talk, can't play toys...can drink milk, can sleep, can cry." I think it really helped him with a difficult adjustment, and gave him the reassurance that Mommy and Daddy love him still, even though there was a new baby to love, too.

It was very simplistic and a little pedantic, even to a 2 year old! It does touch on some good points about life after a baby comes, but with such an annoying narrative that nether my son or I could really enjoy it. We have started making up our own story to describe what the pictures are depicting; the book is much more interesting that way. There has to better books out there to prepare kids for their new siblings.

This book has helped us prepare our son for his future sibling. He is now excited to be a big brother. We read the book every night and he loves it.

The book is awesome. I bought it for my nephew (2 1/2 yrs old)who has a new baby sister. His parents tell me he loves the book!

My son and I enjoyed reading this book and the illustrations. The book shows the baby has already arrived and moves on from there. I wish their was more on the waiting and hospital visit...but I liked it the same. I liked how the book included that the brother could do things the little baby couldn't yet and how the boy wanted to take care of his new sibling!

We read this only about once or so. My baby is due in a month, and my son is 3. It's very frank, which I liked, but I don't think he liked it. I think it gave him "uh-oh" kinds of feelings about the coming baby. I would recommend it, though, if you want to prepare your son or daughter for a new little one.

We read this book before and after our son's baby sister arrived. It really addresses the ideas that new siblings face. The baby requires so much more attention for its basic needs and everyone seems drawn to a new baby. But there are So many things that an older sibling can do, that a baby can't. And that means he/she is still important and special and can even help out in caring for the new baby.

A good book, one of the better ones that I've found on the being a big brother after the baby is born.

I love both the I'm a Big Brother and I'm a Big Sister (the same book, just diiferent gender). They are both well illustrated and help the big sib form realistic expectations of what it will be like to have a new baby in their lives, while encouraging them (and you!) to focus on the abilities and privileges associated with age!

It was a gift given to my almost 3 year old grandson - just before his new baby sister was born. My daughter said that he really enjoyed the book... I have not seen the book yet

I bought this book for my nephew after his baby brother came home and wished I had found it and given it to him before the baby came. Excellent illustrations and wonderful, easy to understand text. A great preparation tool for a new sibling.

My 2 year old loves this book. It is written very simply and he likes to repeat the words on the pages. The tone is very positive using phrases like "our baby". We love reading it togetther.