One of Three

PreSchool-Grade 1-- "Since I can remember, I've been one of three. Eva, Nikki, and me." Narrated by the youngest child in a black family, this brief book focuses on the joy of being one of three sisters. The simple text is extended by the skillful watercolor illustrations that give each sister a unique look and personality, but also emphasize the feeling of togetherness as the girls laugh, hold hands, or march down the street "like stair steps." Of course, the older sisters don't always want the youngest along, but then she gets to be one of a different kind of three with her mother and father. As in When I Am Old With You (Orchard Bks., 1991), Johnson and Soman work well together to capture, on a child's level and without sentimentality, the underlying love and strength of positive family relationships. --Karen James, Louisville Free Pub . Lib . , KY
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

``I'm one of the three that looks just like our mama, smiles just like our daddy, and holds hands with my sisters....'' In another warm evocation of a loving black family, the author of Tell Me a Story, Mama (1989) depicts a little girl whose older sisters often include her--but not always; then it can be ``just Mama, Daddy, and me, it's a different kind of three, and that's fine too....'' Soman's watercolors glow with good humor and affection. (Picture book. 3-8) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.