Julius, the Baby of the World by Kevin Henkes

He is the baby of the world, because he is the baby of the world. Julius the baby of the world is THE baby of the world. I like a lot of Henkes's books but really just do not like this one. If it's ok (and even supposed to be considered funny) for Lily to hate her little brother, then why can't the child I am reading the book to hate her little brother, too? Sure, Lily grows out of it by the end of the book, but the bulk of the book (and the most memorable part) involves her hating and torturing Julius. Of course older siblings are not always thrilled when a new baby comes home, but I still do not like reading books about siblings hating one another. I almost stopped reading it because I was so disturbed that Lily says she hates Julius. The first time I read this book, I was reading it out loud to a child I was babysitting.

I dislike any book that involves an older sibling hating a younger sibling (or any sibling hating any sibling, for that matter).

But when Lily's cousin criticizes Julius, Lily's big-sisterly instincts kick in.

Lily is not pleased when her parents bring home her little brother, Julius, and spend so much time cooing over him.

Julius, the Baby of the World by Kevin Henkes