I loved this so much. The sweetness of the sibling relationship finding balance between time together and time apart. The sibling relationship is so unique and I loved watching these two navigate their time together (and apart)

Ah, it's stories like <em>William's Getaway</em> by Annika Dunklee and illustrated by Yong Ling Kang that make me wish I'd been a better older sister growing up. This is such a sweet story about two brothers, the youngest, Edgar, who always wants to play with his sibling and the eldest, William, who just needs a break sometimes. And what better way to find that break than by hiding away in the one place his little brother will never go?

As an older sibling, I can unquestionably understand the desire to hide away from younger siblings when I've grown irritated with them. There's a reason that kids fight with their brothers and sisters, after all. Wants and needs don't always align. For me, I was very much like William. When I grew tired of playing with my sister I would want to do my own thing without her. I, however, did not have an imaginary hot air balloon to hide in while my sister was afraid of heights.

The amazing thing about this story comes in how kind young Edgar is as he considers visiting his brother, desperate to spend some time with him. He even prepares the snacks! But, of course, he is still afraid of heights and so it is William's decision to either help Edgar overcome his fear and join him or to leave his brother on the ground so he can keep his quiet space.

The artwork in this book isn't massively impressive or anything, but it is quite adorable. I especially <em>loved</em> the hot air balloon and the colors. For young kids who read this book, I think it will be the illustrations that really keep them engaged. And hopefully, they will learn to appreciate their siblings just as much as William grew to appreciate Edgar.

<em>I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</em>

The bond between siblings can be quite strong. But occasionally there needs to be some alone time. And that’s exactly what older brother William is looking for. But William’s younger brother has other plans.

In an effort to interest William in playing together, Edgar suggests several things to do, but William is set on being alone. So he heads to the one place he can be alone: his hot air balloon.

So why doesn’t Edgar join him there? He’s afraid to climb up the ladder.

But for once Edgar wants to play with his brother so bad that he does all he can to break through his fear of climbing.

But like some of us, Edgar is a little bit of a what-if person. So before he even begins to climb, he starts considering everything. What if he gets hungry, thirsty, or cold? He hurriedly grabs what he might need. Including his monkey, who might need to comfort Edgar if he gets lonely.

Will Edgar ever relax enough to rid himself of his fear? Is climbing the ladder to join his brother looking impossible?

The light-colored illustrations accent the text in a soft, gentle way.

What Concerned Me
Though the story was cute and had some good thoughts, I would have liked to see some indication as to why William changed his mind. It could have been very small, like seeing his brother’s determination and desire to be with him. But I needed him to show a reason for his change of mind.

What I Liked Best
It’s always great to see siblings get along and desire to be together. And imagination is always a fun element to add to a story.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so cute. It was about a relationship between two brothers and the older brother losing patience with the younger brother. I think anyone with siblings can relate to the story. The illustrations were cute and colorful and the text flowed well. I recommend it.

You know those times when you just need to get away from everyone and everything, especially when you have a younger sibling who just seems to be under foot all the time. Where do you go to have some time alone? Annika Dunklee explores this common life occurrence in William’s Getaway illustrated by Yong Ling Kang.

William’s Getaway is up in his hot air balloon (aka the top bunk). It’s the best getaway because Edgar can’t find him there, he’s too afraid to go up. Edgar is William’s little brother and in typical little brother fashion, just wants to be with William All. The. Time. But just like older siblings, William just needs a break sometimes, just needs some space to himself to catch his breath. Also, just like siblings, the break doesn’t last long and William help Edgar make his way up to the basket of the balloon so they can adventure together.

Annika Dunklee takes the ordinary, everyday and turns it into an adventure. All children with younger or older siblings will be able to relate to William and Edgar and perhaps find some strategies they can use when they feel like they need a break. The wonderful imaginative play of childhood is a thing all siblings can bond over.

Yong Ling Kang’s illustrations are a wonderful representation of life. With beautiful two page spreads interspersed with little vignettes, it’s a book children will come back to many times and perhaps even be inspired to create their own getaways

5 stars

"Edgar loves to play with William. And sometimes... Sometimes William likes to play with Edgar."

Wiliam needs a break from his little brother Edgar, so he takes to the sky in his hot air balloon - the one place Edgar won't go. Edgar surprises him by mustering the courage to join him and the two brothers have a wonderful time together.

Annika Dunklee's simple story shows the special relationship that exists between brothers and cleverly conveys the morals of patience, compassion, and love. Young readers will love Yong Ling Kang's beautiful, expressive watercolor illustrations.

This book is delightful. The illustrations are lovely. My children loved this book, its one we'll return to again and again.

I was eager to check this book out but, unfortunately, the formatting was not working on my kindle app (despite attempting the download several times and on different devices). The illustrations look promising and the topic sounds like it would be useful to my clinical practice as a child psychologist.

Anyone who is an older sibling will love this book. William and his little brother Edgar often play together, but sometimes he needs time alone. He is able to scurry off to his hot air balloon to be alone as Edgar is afraid to climb up into it. Once William sees how much his brother wants to be with him, he encourages him to leave all his "crutches" behind and climb up to join him. This is a sweet story about brotherly love. I love how William invites Edgar to get over his fear to join him, even though it means he will no longer have his special place to be alone. Having had a younger brother who was often foisted off on my friends and I growing up, I could feel William's pain. He needed time away from his brother just as I did as a child. When it comes right down to it though, blood and love will win out. The illustrations are delightful and show the emotions well. I read this to my grandson before Christmas when he was sick and he identified with William very much. He often wanted his sister to leave him alone. He loved that William helped his brother get over his fear and that they could play together in the end. A book that I would recommend to families for their personal libraries.

If you grew up with siblings, you know what William is going through, when he does not want to play with Edgar, his younger brother.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5503" src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/williams-getaway.png" alt="" />

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5502" src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/williams-get-away.png" alt="" />

So, he gets into his imaginary hot air balloon, where his little, pesky brother can't bother him, until he does, and over comes his fear of heights.

And in the end, we find where Edgar how to climb to get into the "hot air balloon."

A sweet story of brothers playing together, in the end.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

William’s Getaway by Annika Dunklee and illustrated by Yong Ling Kang is a loving tale of two young brothers, William and Edgar. William is older and full of adventure. Edgar is younger and exuberant. One day William has had enough of his baby brother and goes to the only place he knows he can get away, his hot air balloon. Edgar is scared of the balloon. But this time, after being told his big brother would make sure he was safe, Edgar finally has enough courage to join William. With encouragement from William Edgar realizes that he doesn’t need snacks or his jacket or his stuffed monkey, Mr. Bibbles, all he needs is William. The story is lovingly told with the illustrations to match. The reader sees William’s annoyance as he tries to escape and Edgar’s anxiety as he fights his fear. And the joy and acceptance as William reaches for Edgar’s hand to help him into the basket. The imagery is perfect for the story from William’s Indiana Jones hat to Edgar telling Mr. Bibble’s he’ll be ok. And young readers will love the last scene and spotting all the items from previous pages. Another wonderful, caring story by Ms. Dunklee with great colorful illustrations by Ms. Kang.

William doesn't always like to play with his little brother Edgar. When he needs some time alone, he climbs up the ladder to his hot air balloon and Edgar is too scared to follow. But then Edgar says he knows he'll be okay if he's with William and decides to follow.

This tale of brotherly love is a bit whimsical, but observant children may notice a clue to indicate that maybe there's no hot air balloon afterall. This is a good addition for families who need to encourage some sibling affection.

A typical day in my house involves two precarious little ones. I have a daughter who is six, and a son who recently turned two. My son loves everything about his sister. He adores her, and he wants to do anything sissy does exactly the way she does it. Usually, my daughter goes along with it really well. However, there are times when she declares that she is in need of a "brother break."

William, in Annika Dunklee's new picture book titled William's Getaway, is just like my daughter. He has a little brother named Edgar who copies everything he does. After a little bit too much brother time, William declares that he needs a getaway, and he heads outside to his hot air balloon.

Just like it happens in my house, it doesn't take long for the little Edgar to find William. But this time, instead of giving William his space, he decides to join William in his hot air balloon. However, there is one big problem. Edgar, William's little brother, is afraid to climb up to the air balloon.

Instead of taking the opportunity to keep Edgar out of his quiet space, William puts aside his frustration and reaches his hand out to Edgar. Together, the two of them work alongside each other to conquer Edgar's fear of heights.

William's Getaway is a gentle story about the special bond between two siblings. It is the perfect book right now for my daughter. I love how William puts aside his desire for quiet in order to continue to make the choice to be kind to his sibling. He is a great model for my daughter as she is learning to manage the challenging realities of having a little sibling.

I also loved the surprising twist with the hot air balloon. Throughout the story, I was trying to understand why William would escape to a hot air balloon. I kept thinking to myself that the story would make so much more sense if he escaped to a tree house or something.

I shouldn't have had any worries because all makes sense at the end of this story. The truth behind the hot air balloon is revealed, and I ended up loving the story exactly the way it was... no tree house needed!

Dunklee's story about two brothers who spend the day playing together after one brother faces his fear of climbing a rope ladder is cute but lacks that something that makes me want to read it again. The illustrations were cute and fit the story well. This story just didn't do much for me.

Thank you NetGalley and OwlKids Books for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy.

I really like the premise of this book. It opens conversation between children and parents about private time. It lets children know that it is normal to need some quiet time alone. It can also remind parents that children need some peaceful time alone, too. I liked the cover, but I could not really comment on the illustrations because I read this on my kindle paper white. The images it allowed were in black and white and were fragmented. My rating might have been higher if I could have appreciated the illustrations and that is my fault.

William's Getaway is a sweet story about brotherly love.

William's little brother, Edgar, always wants to play with him. Sometimes William is okay with that... but other times, he just wants to get away and be by himself. Luckily, he has a special place--his very own hot-air balloon--where he can do just that. The best part? Edgar is afraid to go in the balloon. But one day, Edgar decides he's over his fear, and he wants to join William. He gets a snack and a drink, then his favourite toy because he thinks he might be scared after all. But William convinces him that he will, in fact, be all right, and the two brothers enjoy a fun day together.

The story is simple, and the overall message about patience and kindness is always welcome for this reader. William is a good big brother, and it's sweet to see how his acceptance of his younger brother turns out to be a positive thing for him as well; sibling rivalry takes a break for a few hours so both boys can have fun.

The illustrations are quite cute. If you look carefully, there are hints about the real nature of William's "hot-air balloon" (which becomes clearer on the last page).

This would be a great book for kids who are struggling a bit with sibling rivalry. I'd also recommend it to readers looking for picture books about sibling relationships in general.

Edgar wants to play with his older brother, William. William just wants some time to be alone, so he goes to his hot air balloon where Edgar is too scared to go or at least so he thinks. I think kids will be able to relate to the characters in the story.

*received from netgalley for honest review* What a cute little story! I really liked this book and its an adorable book for siblings.

Adorable book about two brothers and a wonderful friendship they share. This book spoke about why people need time alone and together. The illustrations were great.

This is a heartwarming story of a big brother who just needs some alone time. His little brother just wants to spend time with him. The tale comes together in a loving way, showing consideration for both brothers' wishes and illustrated with fun graphics. A great read-aloud choice!