Want to Be in a Band?
Instead of taking the typical here’s-how-it’s-done route, this inventive picture book uses the concept of forming a band to convey a surprisingly wide-reaching story of sisterly love. The narrator offers amusingly specific instructions to the reader (represented in the story by a ponytailed little girl): “First, you’ll need two interesting, smart older sisters who can play guitars and sing.” Got it? What’s so genuine about this semiautobiographical tale (Roche was part of the indie-folk outfit The Roches for 30 years) are the realistic temporal jumps: “Now you can let a couple years go by.” The three sisters get older and graduate from living room shows to street corner performances to music clubs to international tours, all the while having fun and, of course, bickering. “Oh, and try to be gentle with each other. After all, these are your dear sisters.” Potter’s folksy, weird-angled watercolors at first seem an odd fit for the let’s-rock material, though as the sisters age, these illustrations become increasingly poignant. A totally unique angle on a timeless theme. Grades 1-3. --Daniel Kraus