Fiction · Ages 3-5 · 24 pages

Alder and the Very Small Sister: A Bellwater Story About Becoming a Big Brother

by Kyle Hancock

Alder is a beaver, and beavers build BIG. So when his very small sister Hazel arrives, Alder knows exactly how to help: a big song, a fast fetch, and a cradle the size of a boat. Hazel cries at all of it. Then she cries some more. Out on the doorstep, with nobody needing him, Alder works out something he has never tried before: the smallest idea he has ever had. The first Bellwater story, from the river village where a bell rings at dusk and every family stops to say what they’re glad about, what they’re sorry for, and what they’ll try tomorrow. A little sparrow hides on every page. For ages 3 to 7, read aloud.