Big Red Lollipop/ Notable Books for Kids

Plot Summary:

            Rubina is very excited about being invited to a birthday party! She is not very excited when her mom makes her take her little sister with her. Rubina is from an immigrant family and her mom insists despite Rubina’s explanations about American culture. Sana, Rubina’s little sister, ruins her experience at the birthday party and then eats Rubina’s big red lollipop. A big fight ensues and in the end Mom sides with Sana. Months later, Sana gets an invitation of her own. Mom insists that Sana take both Rubina and their younger sister, but Rubina intervenes on Sana’s behalf and encourages Mom to let Sana go by herself. This pays off because Sana brings Rubina a big green lollipop from the party.

Personal Reaction:

            This is the best picture book I have read! I am not from an immigrant family, I do not have any sisters, and I am the youngest to one older brother. Though, I wouldn’t be considered “target audience” for this book, it really spoke to me. I felt so sorry for Rubina and her trials, and she did the right thing in the end, which I didn’t even want her to do, I wanted her to show her little sister what it felt like, but she didn’t. I wish I had written this book, and where are the awards for it? The illustrations in the book were good, they assist the reader with comprehension, the fact that the family are immigrants is merely implied in the book, so the traditional (Indian or Middle Eastern) dress worn by the mother gives visual clues to that implication. In addition, the littlest sister is introduced visually very early on in the plot, but is not mentioned until the very end. I also liked the picture of Rubina chasing Sana around the house, it caught my eye and I realized that the artist took out the walls so that we could see the chase.  

Khan, R., & Blackall, S. (2010). Big red lollipop  . New York, N.Y.: Viking.