My Brother and Me

Author: Kanchan Bannerjee started Jyoshika, an organisation that focuses on improving learning for young children. She enjoys writing for children and has worked on developing graded readers in Kannada for children in Karnataka and in Hindi for children in Chhattisgarh as part of a UNICEF project. She is also the Managing Trustee at Akshara Foundation, where she works on planning and creating learning materials.

Source: https://storyweaver.org.in/en/users/302-kanchan-bannerjee

Illustrator: Pallak Goswamy

Publisher: Pratham Books 

Year: 2013

Reading Level: Level 1

Genre: Picture book; realistic fiction

Synopsis 

This story is about two brothers and their daily routine together. The younger child talks about his older brother, Samir and what they do from morning to evening. Samir helps him get ready for school, takes him along on his cycle, and later plays with his friends. The younger brother also helps Samir in small ways, like finding the ball. The story moves through simple everyday moments and ends with them returning home. It shows their bond through small acts of care and companionship.

Theme / Skill

1. Family relationships; 
2. Daily routines; 
3. Early reading and vocabulary

Pre-reading

• Ask children if they have siblings and what they like doing with them.
• Ask, “What do you do every morning before school?”

During reading

• Pause and ask children what word might fit in the blank (like shirt, shoes, cycle).
• Ask children to look at the pictures and guess the missing words.
• Let children say the sentences aloud together to build confidence in reading.

Post-reading

• Ask children to write or draw one day in their life, like the child in the story.
• Ask what they would do if they spent a day with Samir.
• Discuss how siblings help each other in small ways.

Reflection

This book's simplicity is beautiful. The sentences are very short and easy, so it works well for early readers who are just starting out. It does not feel boring because the pictures carry a lot of meaning and help children guess the words.

What I found nice is how the relationship between the two brothers is shown through small everyday things. The older brother helps but the younger one also helps in his own way. The story is very basic, so older children might not find it very engaging. But for its level, it does its job well. It can be useful in classrooms to build confidence in reading while also talking about family and routines.

References

Bannerjee, K. (2013). My Brother and Me. Pratham Books.