The baby sister introduced in Maple gets a bit older and the sisters' relationship grows a bit more complicated in Lori Nichols's charming and insightful companion picture book.
"Maple and her little sister, Willow, were always together," opens Nichols's narrative. Maple takes Willow by the hand, and their namesake trees provide the backdrop. Nichols pictures them on a bed of leaves and making snow angels through the seasons, plus sharing their daily routine (most nights, Willow winds up in Maple's bed) as well as a special language (Pig Latin). But inevitably they want to do things differently, and Nichols paints Willow as the more easygoing of the pair--except when Maple wants only to collect dandelions, not blow on them: "That's when Willow decided to show Maple a thing or two." Maple yells, and Willow strikes back ("Admay!" says she, stomping on Maple's toy). A forced separation helps the sisters see how much they miss each other. In a visual representation of their emotional shift, Nichols depicts each child's closed bedroom door, their slowly thawing moods, and the doors opening.
The author-artist captures a universal experience between siblings while continuing to emphasize a love of nature and the way it gives flight to the children's imagination (Willow fashions a cat mask from a maple leaf, for instance). Once the sisters make up, "They couldn't wait to run back outside." Fun details, such as a snorkel in the bathtub, attest to the girls' boundless sense of make-believe. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness