I received My Brother and Me, by Taghreed Najjar through NetGalley. It's a sweet and short, nicely illustrated story of a young boy learning that his much older brother's upcoming wedding might not be as bad as he expects. Very nice of CracBoom! Books to accept a story about a family from non-European cultural background. I wish there was a glossary and explanation of terms that might be unfamiliar to readers, to help better learn about the customs of this family.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. Aloush is the youngest and looks up to his older brother. When his brother starts acting weird and ignoring him he starts to worry. He soon finds out that his brother is getting married and someone else is joining the family. Cute book about family and siblings.

In “My Brother and Me,” young Aloush basks in the attention and approval of his big brother when the relationship begins to slip away... or so it seems. As family dynamics shift, I like how Taghreed Najjar invites us into Aloush’s process of thinking out loud and learning to wrestle with change. This story is a relatable one—particularly for siblings with large age gaps wondering where their place might be. I’m significantly older than my brother, and considered how he must’ve often felt while growing up.

Najjar subtly speaks into some children’s fears of being too young to understand, create opinions, or be visible. By the end, she offers comfort with a playful, positive twist, reminding small readers someone will see them for who they are.

I thought Maya Fidawi’s illustrations paired so well with the story, one necessary to the other. The characters reminded me of Louis Darling’s work for Beverly Cleary’s “Ramona and Beezus” series. So charming. I only wish the story was a tad longer, as it seemed to have an abrupt ending. But the message still gets across and I enjoyed it!

It is a illustrated story for kids.
It is about two brothers who are very close.
Thay care for each other.
Then comes fiancee of elder brother.
This creates insecurity in the little brother.
Story is cute.
Vocabulary is simple for little kids who are starting their reading habit.
Artwork is so lovely. I liked simple drawings which show events like really moving stuff. You could guess background easily, if it's raining or indoors or sunlight.
I loved artwork. It's vivid, colorful and innovative.
Very cute story and perfect gift for any new reader.
Thanks netgalley and publisher for review copy.

I received a copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This book is about sibling brothers with a big age gap between them but who are close to each other and spend time doing things together.
The eldest brother suddenly starts behaving differently and doesn't have as much time for the youngest brother anymore.
This is a beautiful story for both adults and children to read with beautiful illustrations. Its great for siblings to read or share together as it does send a message to all. Such a thought provoking and tender book.

Short, sweet and to the point.

The story's about a little brother tries to deal with the changes that come when your older siblings is experiencing life at a speed that you just can't understand. I've got two nieces who are about two years apart and it's so funny to already see the divide that comes from the older one being in school and the younger one wanting to do the same but not being at that stage in life yet.

In the case of this book - the younger brother is now having to share his big brother with a girl who is new to both of their lives but means a great deal to the man in both of their lives. Again, it was short and wrapped up his acceptance of her rather quickly.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC copy of this book.

A story about a boy and his much-older brother. When the brother brings a girlfriend into the picture, poor Aloush tries everything he can think of to get rid of her! And while he plays some not very nice tricks on Deema, she (and the brother) patiently work to show him that it's going to be okay. And soon enough, he starts thinking that Deema maybe isn't so bad.

A great look at changing family dynamics, and how it's not always as bad as it may seem when siblings grow up and get married. Has a nice multicultural setting.

This is a lovely book about brotherly love. It was a nice book to read to my children and they enjoyed the story very much.

Truly love this book. The relationship between the brothers is very sweet and younger brother's attempts to annoy older brother's fiancee were funny and adorable. Relatable and great lesson to young readers on changing relationships. Excellent story! We need more diverse books like this!

I have always loved reading children’s books that dealt with families and I stumbled upon this unique little book called “My Brother and Me” which was by Taghreed Najjar along with artwork by Maya Fidawi and it was truly an amazing and sweet read!

Aloush is the youngest member of his family and he has an extremely close relationship to his older brother Ramez. Ramez would drive Aloush to school on his way to work every day and he would allow him to hang out with his friends whenever they were watching a football game. But one day, Ramez started getting too busy to hang out with his little brother Aloush and it turns out that Ramez has actually fallen in love with a woman named Deema and is planning on marrying her. Aloush is upset at this because that would mean that Ramez would spend even less time with him and it was then that Aloush decided to come up with a plan to ruin Ramez’s relationship with Deema!

Wow! I never expected to enjoy this book as much as I did! Taghreed Najjar did a fantastic job at writing this story as I was interested in seeing Aloush’s relationship with his older brother Ramez and I even felt a bit sad for Aloush when his brother Ramez started spending less time with him. I always enjoyed reading books that dealt with families and Taghreed Najjar made me really love both Aloush and Ramez and their close relationship with each other. I also sympathized with Aloush as he was afraid of losing his older brother to Deema, even though he should not have tried to ruin his brother’s relationship with Deema in retaliation. I also loved the fact that this book apparently takes place in the Middle East since it is rare to read books from the Middle East and this book did a great job at conveying the culture of the Middle East. Maya Fidawi’s artwork was quite creative and cute to look at as all the characters have a scratchy yet adorable look to them and it made the artwork really stand out to me.

Overall, “My Brother and Me” was a truly cute children’s book about the importance of family and how you should not be afraid of anyone new moving into the family. I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book.

A sweet story about a boy and his brother and how their relationship changes over time. The illustrations are profound really emphasizing the emotion behind the story. Very well translated. I highly recommend this diverse book.

Aloush and his brother are tight as thieves, they do everything together. They are each other's best friends, but suddenly his brother doesn't have time to spend with him like he did before. Suddenly he has more important things to do and even sends him out of his room when he is on the phone. Finally he comes home one day with, dare I say it, A GIRL! A wonderful story of sibling love.
#Netgalley

It was such a cute and short read. Most of us can relate with the changes Aloush's facing.. It would have been better if the book was long. Totallly loved it.

I thought that this was a really good story about a young boy who is very close to his older brother. When his brother gets engaged he is worried that everything will change and he is feeling pushed out and puts together a plan to get his brother back.

The story has a happy ending and it is a good book to show younger children about change and to explain what happens in these situations, you are gaining a new family member, not losing one - 4 stars from me for this one

My Brother and Me is the story of how the relationship between two brothers changes when one meets a girl and becomes engaged. When there is a significant age difference between siblings, this type of change is bound to happen. However, this picture book explains how it may seem like everything is getting worse when in reality things are just getting better. The younger brother realizes that he is not losing a brother, he is just gaining a sister.
I think it is important to have stories like this for children to relate to and find themselves in when they go through similar situations.
The illustrations and writing is beautiful, plus the story brings in a culture aspect based on the main character's cultural background!

I liked the images, however I felt the story was long. A picture to word ratio was just unbalanced. It was a sweet story about a young boys frustration over his older brothers maturing and aging.

This book was quite adorable in my opinion. A sweet and short children’s novel about a young child who is fearful that his brothers new partner will “take” his brother away from him.

At first he does not like the new girlfriend but overtime, Aloush warms up to Deems and they develop an adorable relationship, proving to Aloush that this new change brought even more wonderful people in his life!

In this book we are taught the reality of change and how sometimes, even when you are apprehensive and afraid, a new change can bring a new world of opportunity and positive experiences if you let it.

This is such a cute and adorable story that is really important for anyone with a family change coming about. While the tone of the character seems harsh at first, it’s only a true reflection. It’s the ending that will really win your heart.

I love this story. I feel that so many times children make the assumptions that they do not like someone because they "take" someone away. This book does a great job to show that the new people who come into our life can be just as great as the ones already in it as long as we give them a shot. The art style is not my favorite, but that is just me.

Aloush adores his big brother Ramez and they have always been close. But now Ramez has become engaged and doesn't have as much time for Aloush any more. Before meeting her, Aloush decides he doesn't like Deema (Ramez's fiance). How will Deema react to Aloush? And will he eventually come to like her?

This was a lovely story with a great message about how family relationships can change with changing circumstances and that we sometimes need time to get used to those changes.