My Brother Is an Avocado

A big sister anticipates the birth of a new sibling in this warm and funny stage-by-stage picture book tour of all the sizes of a growing baby, from teeny-tiny poppy seed to giant watermelon.

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!

Tracy Darnton is a critically acclaimed YA author and picture book writer. She was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize for her debut novel The Truth About Lies and wrote the picture book My Brother Is an Avocado. Tracy studied law at the University of Cambridge and has worked as a solicitor and lecturer. She graduated with distinction from the Bath Spa University writing for young people master’s program. Tracy won the Stripes YA Short Story Prize, run in partnership with The Bookseller’s YA Book Prize, which led to publication in the young adult anthology I’ll Be Home for Christmas. Her young adult thrillers include The Rules and Ready or Not. Tracy lives near Bath in the southwest of England with her family. You can follow Tracy on Instagram and Twitter @TracyDarnton.

Irish-born, Bristol-based Yasmeen Ismail is an award-winning author, illustrator, and animator. Her first picture book, Time for Bed, Fred, won the V&A Best Illustrated Book Award and The New York Times Best Illustrated Book Award. It was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, longlisted for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal, and nominated for the National Cartoonists Society Silver Reuben Award. Yasmeen has been nominated for her other works as well and has been selected by the Society of Illustrators to have her work shown in the Original Art Exhibition in New York four years in a row.