Sona Sharma Very Best Big Sister - Chita Soundar

This is a wonderful story about Sona and her family who are preparing for the birth of their next child. Sona has enjoyed being the only child in the family and clearly doesn’t want to share them with a new sibling. The story follows Sona on her journey and shows us what happens once the baby is born, including coming up with the perfect name for the baby.

Set in India, Sona’s house is clearly a busy and happy one, full of chatter and laughter. As well as her parents (Amma and Appa), she also lives with her grandparents (Thatha and Patti), with her other grandmother (The President) living just down the road. The book is full of culture and tradition (showing how they are preparing for the imminent birth) which I really enjoyed reading about. It’s a wonderful way to introduce younger children to different cultures as well as helping them get used to the changes that are to come.

The family are very gentle with Sona, sharing every stage of the preparations with her. It was also good to see Sona’s reluctance to accept what was about to happen as I suspect that this is something many children go through - it will help them to understand that thy are not alone in these feelings. 

I also loved the fact that Sona’s companion was a cuddly elephant named Elephant that spoke to her. I liked the interaction between the two as it allowed the reader to understand her thoughts but I loved it more for the fact that my son had a cuddly elephant named Elephant when he was young who went everywhere but school with him! It brought back many happy memories!

I also cannot fail to mention the illustrations by Jen Khatun, which help bring the characters and the setting to life and add a wonderful visual element to the story.  The glossary of terminology at the end of the book is also incredibly useful as it will not only help children to fully understand the story but will also introduce them to vocabulary in Hindu culture.

This is a brilliant read for younger children, either alone or as a shared read with parents who are preparing for the arrival of a new baby.