Jen, Jenny (but never Jennifer!), a.k.a. Older Sister announces at the beginning of this engaging picture story that she’s been in charge of the household since her mother gave birth to her little brother Henry exactly one month ago. And certainly this assertive, rather bossy little girl thinks she’s in charge. Astute readers will notice that it’s really her Chinese grandmother, GninGnin, who’s running the show. In a droll conversational style, Jen give a step-by-step account of the preparations for a family celebration to mark her little brother’s first month of life, his first-moon birthday party. Together, Jen and her grandmother prepare special food, write good-luck words on red cloth with black ink (“the real stuff,” Jen tells us), boil “a million eggs,” clean the house, bathe (“GninGnin scrubs me clean as celery”), and put on special dresses. When the guests arrive, Jen tells us she’s in charge of making sure the cousins don’t wake Henry. (“I do a good job until — I can’t resist — I pinch him once when no one’s looking.”) Yumi Heo’s humorous stylized pencil and oil paintings give a good sense of the bustling activity of a busy household from a young child’s perspective. Jen would try the patience of many adults. Lucky for her — and for readers — she has a grandmother who understands her completely and who is equal to the task of caring for her. As Jen tells us: “I look in the mirror and see that we are a pair, like favorite shoes, side by side.” Highly Commended, 2002 Charlotte Zolotow Award (Ages 4–7)

Jenny's baby brother Henry is having his one-month birthday -- his first-moon, as it's called in Chinese. And even though Jenny's sure he doesn't deserve it -- all Henry does is sleep, eat, and cry -- there's a big celebration planned for him. Together, Jenny and her grandma get everything ready, from dyeing eggs a lucky red to preparing pigs' feet and ginger soup. And someday, when Henry's old enough to appreciate all her hard work, Jenny will tell him how lucky he was to have her in charge.
The childlike charm of Lenore Look's story is perfectly captured in Yumi Heo's naïve illustrations, which give readers the impression that Jenny drew them herself.