This will be a very fun and relatable story for young kids! Toddler Essie is cute but a force of destruction and her brother needs to protect his toys. He has the brainstorm to build a wall and works creatively to find supplies and figure out the best method of construction. But will his efforts pay off?

The illustrations are wonderfully engaging and full of little humorous details. Kids will recognize the problem of trying to keep possessions safe from siblings and will be invested in the outcome. This would be a great circle-time read for preschool or pre-K!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

This was a really cute book about an older brother who is trying to protect his toys from a mysterious little sister. I think this is a book older sibling if any age can relate to! Rafael tries and tries to build something that keeps his little sister out, when he finally realizes she just want to play with him! My three year old loved it and thought it was so funny every time Essie knocked something down.

Thank you Charlesbridge for a digital copy of this book! This book is due for publication 5/3/22.

💙 Mommy (@that.bookmom) and Ronan (@thatbookkid) approved ✅

Amazing story that shows the relationship between siblings, some math concepts, as well as a few words in Spanish. The illustrations are bright and colorful and well drawn. I voluntarily reviewed an advance readers copy of this book.

A cute multilingual picture book with a mix of family And problem solving themes.
Raul wants his space so he builds a wall using different shapes boxes to fill in the gaps. But soon realised that knocking the wall down and playing with his younger sister is much more fun!

This was super cute! It's a great way to introduce kids to math, spanish, and communication! I'm not a very mathematically competent person, so I personally would not have enjoyed this as a kid. However, STEM books have gotten so popular that I know this will find it's niche! It would be great for a storytime (especially one with a bilingual story teller who can go through the spanish words).

This is the story of a boy and his little sister who loves to knock over all of his toys. He decides to build a wall out of boxes he finds around the house to try to stop her from getting to his toys. As he builds the wall readers can see his thought process about 3D shapes and consider non-standard measurement (measurement that does not use the metric or imperial system, but rather objects or reference points) to determine the placement of each box as well as how much distance in both width and height he needs to fill based on the size of his cat who is a similar height and width as his sister. I could definitely see using this book in a preschool or k-2 classroom as a jumping off point for inquiry, STEM, project based learning lesson. It also demonstrates math in everyday life as well as the importance of trying a variety of strategies until you find one that works!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this excellent book! I look forward to buying a copy for my classroom library in the future!

A good read for children about translation in the means of geometry. Contains Spanish without making the Spanish italic.

This is an adorable story about siblings while being a fun exploration of physical space, geometry and culture. Rafael is a big brother who wants to protect his toys from his little sister, Essie. He collects materials from around the house and constructs a wall with the help of geometry. With a sweet twist this story becomes about the fun siblings can have playing together. The illustrations are charming and the mix of English and Spanish words throughout makes this a story not to miss.

Special thanks to Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a cute installment! I love that the main character needs to try different things, learning growth mindset to solve a problem using household tools. It's a fantastic experiment because it is easy for kids to replicate at home.

This is a cute story. I do appreciate the problem solving rafael does rather than giving up he keep trying to make his items work. I also like rather than keeping his sister essie out he decides to give her a chance. If you can’t beat them, join them!

This was a cute story about a boy trying to avoid his younger sister, but they end up having a special moment together. Very lovely story with a bit of Spanish mixed in. Nice, vibrant illustrations too!

These story telling math books are great. Rafael uses creativity and problem solving skills to create a wall. He uses items from around the house. Has a sweet theme too.

First of all, thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC inexchange for an honest review.

I love the illustrations. Excellent. The language is quite simple and suits for early reader levels. There are few Spanish words that we can learn.

Lacika is truely story teller. This is a story about an older sibling, Rafael trying to protect his toys from his sister, Essie using his own creativity. But Essie is just Essie. She is full of an energy all day long. The geometry and shape skills are fun to learn!

Again, Essie? by Jenny Lacika will be out on May 3rd 2022. Check it out!

Anyone who has ever taught a preschooler, parented a preschooler, or been a sibling to a preschooler will appreciate this book -- as well as every preschooler who has had this same battle with friends and younger siblings! In this book, Rafael's sister knocks down his constructions again and again and again, so he works hard to build a wall to keep her out. There's hidden math here as Rafael explores size and measurement, but there's also so much fun and anticipation! The illustrations capture both Rafael's thought process and the wild joy of Essie. This is definitely a must buy!

I think the kids would be able to relate to the main character in this book who is tired of his sister. The concept of spatial understanding is difficult for kids, and I am not sure that it would make sense in this format. I think they might need to act it out to understand. I did like the multicultural part of it. I like how there is more for kids to relate to.

Again, Essie? is a highly relatable book with charming pictures and events, and a wonderful message about being flexible and finding new ways to look at situations. I especially loved that the family was Mexican American and not only did the boy pepper his language with Spanish phrases and vocabulary, but the author included a glossary at the end.

The illustrations were wonderful and helped tell the story. I loved the father, who had virtually no dialogue, but everytime an item of his came up missing would yell out "oy!" or some other exclamation. It was very silly and fun. I especially loved the authentic portrayal of a family who loves each other and a big brother who is willing to learn.

I highly recommend this book!

Another adorable book! Really loved the illustrations and story progression! Highly recommend to anyone!

Loved this! Can’t wait to read this with my preschoolers next year once I can buy the physical book! My children are going to love this book as they love those laugh out loud moments.

I received an electronic ARC from Charlesbridge through NetGalley.
I love how Lacika weaves geometry into a story about an older sibling trying to protect his toys from his baby sister. Essie wants to play with Rafael's toys and constantly gets them no matter what Rafael does. He works to construct a wall. Readers see his trial and error to make the pieces fit together. Great example of math in the real world. Readers also see words in two languages - Spanish and English. Love also weaves through as we see Essie adore her older brother, and Rafael seek a space but not complete separation from his little sister.

Rafael loves his toys and tries his best to keep them safe. But his younger sister Essie always finds the hidden loot and crashes around them. In desperation Rafael decides to build ‘un muro’ – a wall. He finds the perfect location for his new wall, and now has to figure out how to build it. Thus begins a treasure hunt of various cardboard boxes and other things from around the house that could help him. But will this unsteady cardboard wall protect his toys from Essie?

This is a nice and cute story. I loved the moral that shows how Rafael got his sister’s intent completely wrong, and that she wasn’t bent on destroying his toys but only wanted to play with him. I would have loved a bit more of Essie. She seems like a perfectly loveable and naughty little imp!

The book is promoted as having STEM content, with the way spatial skills are involved in Rafael’s arrangement of the household paraphernalia into a steady wall. But I didn’t find the STEM content that strong in this story. It touches upon spatial geometry to some extent with its focus on height and width and item arrangement. But it could have been so much more; this topic was underutilised.

The illustrations are excellent and by far, the best part of the book. The characters and the colours both stand out with their vibrancy. Essie is especially adorable! I must say, the characters are supposed to be Chicanx (Mexican American), but I wouldn’t have guessed this if I hadn’t known this from the blurb.

The language of the book is quite simple and will easily match with early reader levels. But I didn’t understand the purpose of having a few Spanish words in the text. There’s not much of it, and I understand how bilingual people tend to speak in multiple languages at once. (Heck, I’m from India. Some of my verbal content includes 4 languages at once!) But does this work well in an early reader book? I’m not sure. Of course, there’s a glossary at the end, but that’s not the point. Maybe the story could have been written in both languages – Spanish and English, thus catering to a wider audience without any difficulties in comprehension. Throwing in a few Spanish words in a predominantly English narrative isn’t the best way of getting familiar with Spanish or with the idea of bilingual speakers.

There’s supposedly a Math note and activities at the end of the book. As this was missing in my ARC, I can’t comment on its efficacy. But I’m sure it would be a helpful addition to this book.

Overall, the book was good but it lacked a certain something to take it to exceptional. The story and moral are cute, the illustrations are fabulous, but the learning part is limited. If you pick it up as a fun book for kids, you will be more satisfied with it.

3.5 stars, rounding up to 4.


My thanks to Charlesbridge and NetGalley for the ARC of “Again, Essie?”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.