Going, Going, Gone! with the Pain and the Great One

the Pain And The Great One Are Going Places! In These New Stories The Kids Are On The Go—the Pain Needs A Trip To The Emergency Room; The Family Goes To The Mall And Not Everyone Stays Together; The Kids Visit A County Fair And Want To Ride The Super Slide; And A Beach Outing Includes A Boogie Board. Lots More Action And Adventure For The Dynamic Duo Who Never Stay Still.

children's Literature

the Pain Is What Third-grader Abigail Calls Her Younger Brother; The Great One Is What First-grader Jake Calls His Older Sister. Each Thinks Regarding The Other One: I Don't Get Why Mom And Dad Think She's [he's] So Special. Sometimes I Think They Love Her [him] More Than Me. In This Third Title Of Judy Blume's Chapter Book Series Based On Her Earlier Classic the Pain And The Great One, Blume Once Again Shows Her Deep And Abiding Understanding Of Sibling Dynamics. In Alternating Chapters Narrated By The Pain And The Great One, The Kids Squabble During A Beach Outing, Brave The Gravitron Ride At The County Fair, Deal With A Furry Booger Of A Pussy Willow Lodged In The Pain's Nose, Get Lost And Found At The Food Court At The Mall, And Fly To Visit Grandpa Pete In Florida. It Is All Simple Stuff But Blume Shows That The Carefully Observed Relationship Between Two Quarreling, Jealous, Mutually Irritating—and Loving—siblings Can Still Make For A Series Of Utterly Satisfying Stories, Enhanced By Stevenson's Abundance Of Energetic And Expressive Drawings. Reviewer: Claudia Mills, Ph.d.