The Middle Kid

Description

Charlie & Mouse meets Ramona the Pest in this book about the wonderfully challenging daily realities of being a middle kid in a family. When you're the middle kid, you're never the first nor the last to do anything. You're not the tallest or the smallest; you're babysitting one sibling but teased by the other. Stuck between a bossy older brother and a naive younger sister, Middle Kid feels left out of two worlds. But even if-and maybe especially because-it's always overlooked, this kid's own world is just as big and important as his siblings'. Gently funny and richly detailed, The Middle Kid takes readers through a day in the life of a middle kid, and all the challenges and advantages of a life in-between. * A KID OTHER KIDS WILL RELATE TO: Middle Kid, who is never named, is cranky and sweet, creative and strong-willed-the kind of everykid every kid will relate to. * A FAMILIAR FAMILY SITUATION: Middle children have classically been sandwiched between the achievements of the older sibling and the needs of the younger one. This book gives them a time to shine! * A DAY IN THE LIFE: The book starts in the morning and ends at night, and each chapter is at a different time during one entire day. Kid readers will feel like they really do live "a day in the life" of a Middle Kid. * HELPS KIDS PUT THEMSELVES IN SOMEONE ELSE'S SHOES: Many books about siblings tend to emphasize conflict, but this book creates empathy for different family members' experiences. * PERFECT FOR BEGINNING READERS GETTING USED TO LONGER BOOKS: Simple language, short and easy words, large and readable text, and pictures that help explain the story as well as engaging characters make this an excellent choice for learning to read. * ENCOURAGES CREATIVITY: The main character, our Middle Kid, is doodling during the whole book, constantly drawing what he observes in the real world, and kids reading the book will be inspired to do the same. Perfect for: * Fans of comical books about family * Fans of Jon Scieszka * Fans of Mo Willems's Elephant & Piggie series * Fans of Judy Moody * Parents looking for an empathetic gift for that lets their own middle kids know they are seen * Siblings looking for a gift for their sibling * Teachers, librarians, and booksellers looking to include many different identities on their shelves

Steven Weinberg writes and illustrates kids' books about hybrid animals, roller coasters, beards, and chainsaws. He is the author/illustrator of such titles as Rex Finds an Egg! Egg! Egg! and Fred and the Lumberjack, and is the illustrator of the AstroNuts series. He lives in the Catskills in New York with his family.

"The artwork is polished and professional . . . Characters are cleanly drawn and expressive, and their exuberant energy is barely contained by the lines that define them. [The Middle Kid is] a worthy addition to collections in need of accessible, realistic graphic novel-like beginning readers."-School Library Journal "Weinberg's illustrations--'watercolor, pencil, art from a few centuries ago, digital media, and a whole lot more'--feature a happy, if harried, middle sib whose own exuberance and artistry come through in the present-tense, direct-address main text and on busy spreads with lots of kid-friendly details and easy-to-read speech bubbles. Although being "right in the middle" isn't always a walk in the park, 'sometimes [it] is the best place to be, ' concludes our narrator, whose place in this boisterous, mischief-prone, and tight-knit family is comfortably assured."--The Horn Book Magazine "[H]elter-skelter cartoon sketches . . . record ups and downs in the life of a middle child of deftly unstated gender. . . . Readers with siblings will easily recognize the patterns of microaggression and socialization on display here, and, like the young narrator, see that time alone and time together both have their rewards."-Booklist "Weinberg, a middle child himself, has a knack for capturing the hardships middle kids deal with on a daily basis, whether being last of the sibs to pick a Popsicle or having to strategize the best time to be with Mom alone. And yet instead of depicting typical squabbles, the book is a proud tribute to this important role in the family. ('And I am right in the middle. Sometimes that is the best place to be.')-Parents Magazine "Weinberg imposes visual order on mixed-media scenes of the day's chaos, but not at the loss of a scribbly charm that, along with an opening dedication and bits of childhood writing, confirms that he knows whereof he speaks and that he, too, once wanted to be left alone to dream and draw from time to time. Listeners with siblings of their own might pause to consider birth order dynamics at home, and onlies can ponder how much they miss what they're missing."-The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "[E]ngaging. . . With loose full-color mixed-media illustrations on every page, Weinberg (the AstroNuts series) employs a lively mix of design elements, such as comics-style speech bubbles and collaged details, including his own paintings and 'art from a few centuries ago.' Full of realistic sibling interactions, this is a spirited and relatable celebration of the delights-and recognition of the challenges-of being the middle kid."-Publishers Weekly, starred review