by Tracy Darnton
illustrated by Yasmeen Ismail
 
A football-obsessed child waits, ever so impatiently, for their brother to arrive. Daddy says he is a poppy seed, then a bean, then a grape, then a Brussels sprout –“This means not everyone will like him. And they may blame him for any funny smells or rude noises”. Even when he reaches avocado size, he won’t be quite ready. Meantime, our child is all kinds of excited, apprehensive (can you even cuddle an avocado?!), anxious and then excited all over again. Ismail’s illustrations are absolutely gorgeous, full of comic details; look for the football and the family puppy which bounce from page to page. A very sweet story, with a twist, about a new arrival within a mixed race South Asian/white family. Age 4-7, Paperback 29pp
 
Themes: Diverse Families