Yasmeen Ismail

Greta and Gracie are sisters - Greta is chatty while Gracie is quiet and it's all fine until, one day, everything changes. It's nearly Christmas and together the sisters decorate the tree, shop for presents and even try a spot of ice-skating! But Greta, of course, always knows best - poor Gracie can't get a word in edgewise. Then on Christmas Eve, while Greta is quietly sleeping, Gracie hears a funny noise ...whatever could it be? She creeps downstairs...

"It's hard to wait for an exciting new baby to join the family, especially when it's still growing inside Mom's tummy. But when her dad tells her the size of the baby at each stage, one little girl imagines all the fun she can have with her baby brother as a teeny-tiny poppy seed, then a grape, then a lemon... but she's not quite sure how she feels about having an avocado for a brother. Or an onion. Or--gulp--a watermelon!"--

Encouraged by her teacher to approach her art assignment from new points of view, Sophia produces a piece she is proud of, but can she persuade her hard-to-impress family to take a chance on a different perspective?

"Saturday mornings start early for Meena. She and her sisters watch the sun rise while drinking chai before they clean the house and then head to the grocery store . . . while their brother gets to stay in bed. As the guests arrive, including Meena's favorite cousins, the women crowd into the kitchen to cook. The doorbell rings nonstop as family, neighbors, and friends fill the bustling house. Once fresh chapatis are made, dinner begins--for the men....