Millicent Brown is a little girl with a journalist bent as evidenced by the fact that she runs her own “newspaper.” While having troubles dealing with her little brother, she is inspired to interview her friends from school about where they fall in their families and how they feel about that.
Her friend Kim is the oldest, and Beth falls between Tim and Terry. Ralph is the youngest, and Tony is an only child. Each friend has a different situation.
Millicent starts with Kim, and asks her how she likes being the oldest. On the one hand, Kim loves it. She gets to stay up later, see TV shows the other children can’t, and help out with meals when company comes. But on the other hand, she dislikes being blamed when things go wrong. Because she’s the oldest, her parents think she’s supposed to be the most responsible.
Beth has some issues with being a middle child. She gets the hand-me-downs and never the new things, and she doesn’t get the attention that the baby gets. But she does enjoy being both a big sister and a little sister at the same time.
Sam wonders if people even notice him. Because he’s the youngest, he fears that maybe his parents are tired of raising children and that everything he’s done is just a rerun. But since he’s the youngest, he benefits from the experience of his older brothers and sisters. They teach him things he needs to know.
Tony is glad to be the only child because he gets so much attention from his parents, but on the other hand, he’d like to have someone to talk to or share things with. It can get a little lonely being an only child.
As Millicent winds up her article, she realizes that there’s something to be grateful for, regardless of where you come in your family. Each slot comes with challenges, but it also comes with a whole lot of blessings. This book would be ideal for helping your children to understand their place in the family and how very important that place is.
(This book was published by Penguin Books in 1993 and was illustrated by the author.)
Related Blogs:
Why Does Birth Order Affect Personality?
The Day My Runny Nose Ran Away