Every big sister knows the feeling: little brothers get away with EVERYTHING!
Meet Sissy, who's had it up to here with her two-year-old brother Chooch. No matter what chaos he creates in their loving Cherokee family--and trust us, there's a lot--their parents just smile and say he's ""helping."" When Elisi paints a mural? Chooch ""helps."" When Edutsi makes grape dumplings? Chooch ""helps."" When Sissy tries to make her own clay pot? Well, you can guess what happens next.
But when Sissy finally loses her cool and yells ""Hesdi!"" (Quit it!), what unfolds is a tender moment that captures the messy, beautiful reality of sibling love. This Caldecott Medal winner perfectly nails that universal big sibling frustration--and the surprising grace that can follow.
Winner of the Caldecott Medal - Starred reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Author residence: Fayetteville, AR
Rebecca Lee Kunz grew up in Oklahoma and went on to earn a BFA in painting from the College of Santa Fe. Rebecca is an artist and the owner of Tree of Life Studio in Santa Fe, NM, where she runs her business and raises three daughters. A citizen of the Cherokee Nation, her work draws upon traditional iconography and is greatly inspired by mythic and archetypal symbolism. Her debut picture book, Chooch Helped, was awarded the Caldecott Medal.
Illustrator residence: Santa Fe, NM
[STAR] "Author Rogers and illustrator Kunz, both members of the Cherokee Nation, portray Sissy's older sisterhood with tenderness... The touching narrative and its universal lesson are brought to life through Kunz's powerful images, which make stunning use of collage to illustrate the children's rich familial and cultural webs. Readers' hearts will be warmed by Sissy and Chooch's relationship and by the moving representation of Cherokee traditions. Native life and language are at the center of this beautiful sibling story." - Kirkus (starred)