There are three endearing and hilarious sister stories in this large and expressive picture book. In the title story, big sister, Annie, is taking a cooking class, and she is preparing the family's meals this weekend. Picky little sister Sophie inspects everything, screening raisins from her cereal, looking for fat on her roast beef sandwich. "You're SSOO GROSS," Annie yells at her. "Am NOT!" Sophie yells back. Sophie declares her omelet stinky and screams when the peas touch the eggs on her plate

Resourceful Annie comes up with the perfect solution-Mom's lazy Susan dish which turns like a wheel and has ten little dishes, each with its own walls. "We'll call it-a separator." Annie is a remarkably tolerant sister, even when impetuous red-headed Sophie is driving her mad in "Ssssssssssssshhhhhhhh! It's Quiet Time." In "The Surprise Pet," she has the perfect solution to Sophie's need for her own pet: a seed planted in a plastic cup.

These girls may fight, but they're really crazy about each other, too. Timothy Ering's quirky, good-humored paintings-a world away from his illustrations in The Tale of Despereaux-introduce real siblings your kids will bond with. Each of the three true-to-life stories about Sophie and Annie will get children recalling, retelling, and maybe writing and illustrating their own quirky brother and sister stories. Talk it over: How do Annie and Sophie really feel about each other? How do they show it? Which sister is more like you and why? What special ways do you and your siblings get along with each other? Have them recall food stories, quiet stories, and pet stories from their own experiences. The male counterpart to this book is Betsy Byars' My Brother Ant.

THEMES: FOOD. FOOD HABITS. SEEDS. SISTERS.