Jake (The Pain) and Abigail (The Great One) are like any other brother and sister: they fight about anything and everything! Whether they are telling tales or loosing wiggly teeth little brothers are a pain. Things are different when the school bully picks on Jake however and he can count on Abigail to coming running to the rescue.

There are six different stories in ‘The Pain and the Great One’, each a hilarious vignette of the relationship brothers and sisters the world over enjoy! Each is warm and funny told in an open and accessible style that is heart-warming, and easy to read. 

 To begin with Jake looses his first tooth and trusts it to Abigail to look after, but is she any better at keeping it safe? Then Jake gets a magnifying glass for his birthday, he is very proud of it, even taking it to school for sharing but when the school bully steals it Abigail rushes to the rescue. This story hasan underlying message about bullying and the importance of talking to adults which is handled in a sensitive and appropriate way. The story about first love is charming and touching. This is followed by one about the importance of listening properly, for chaos ensues when Lila brings a real rather than pretend pet into school. The significance of names and working together in collaboration are the themes of the final two stories.

 This book works well as a short novel for young children to read alone or a series of stand alone short stories, held together by the common theme of their characters, each of which have a gentle message and could be used as excellent intorductions to the more sensitive toipc of bullying, for example, in a classroom situation. The book has been illustrated throughout with some great black and white line illustrations that bring the characters in each story to life. The language is simple and perfect for young readers aged 6 upwards.

 I hope that Judy Blume’s writing for younger children will have them hooked on books and clamouring for more!

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