I love most books by this author, but we didn’t love Super Enemies. I read it to my 7 year old, and my 13 year old listened in. Both said the ending didn’t make sense, and I have to agree. The story presents us two siblings who fight constantly, never agreeing on things, like many brother and sisters. They seem to fight just for the sake of fighting, which is understandable, my kids do the same. But once they got to the beach, Mira is, in the words of my 7 years old “being so rude.” Carl is doing his own thing, building a sandcastle, and Mira comes over and destroys it. When Carl stands up to her, she taunts him and runs off. It bugged me that their dad sat there and did nothing- there was no show of intervention. Carl rebuilds his castle, just to have Mira ruin it. The process repeats over and over. The dad, and now other beach visitors are shown watching the children cause a scene. There is one image that the dad is shown shaking a finger at Mira, but I feel like the story should have shown dialogue of the dad scolding or coaching Mira on her behavior. At the end, dad says its time to go, and the family walks away with smiles asking to do it again tomorrow. I feel like it ending so abruptly, and didn’t really address the rivalry and fighting. There is no moral to the story- like even though you may fight, your siblings can be your best friends. Or maybe that Mira was acting that way because she felt left out, and should use her words to ask to join. Or perhaps working together to build an even better castle. The story just seemed to end… without any reason to the story. It caught us all off guard and didn’t really make sense. I do love the illustrations- the faces are very expressive and the scenes are bright and colorful. I enjoy most of the authors books, but not this one…
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Elizabeth Sanchezhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngElizabeth Sanchez2022-11-27 18:23:092022-11-29 13:58:06Super Enemies by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Elizabeth Sanchez
Mira and Carl are sworn enemies. They also are siblings. Sibling rivalry for everything until one day at the beach. Carl makes sand castles. Mira makes it her mission to destroy Carl’s sand castles. I think this is a very realistic situation. Also a good child book. Especially if the child has siblings.
Mira and Carl are siblings, but they are not friends, they are enemies! Whatever one of them wants to do, the other doesn’t, the only thing they agree on is that they both want to sit behind their dad whenever they are in the car.
One day their Dad takes them to the beach and this is something at last that they agree on, but the activities they want to do while there differ greatly, Carl wants to build a sandcastle, however, Mira wants to destroy it, is this something that can bring these super enemies together?
This is a cute story with lovely illustrations, which talks about friendship and how being different is not always a bad thing.
This is a funny book. It is very accurate for real life siblings. Fight and fight and fight then they are completely fine and over it. My 5yo son and I enjoyed this book. Another good one from Lois Wickstrom. Though it’s not my favorite from what I’ve read of hers, it is cute.
I think there are a lot of people out there who even as adults can fully relate to how these two siblings behaved. I know I certainly can! I love how this authors stories really come up with some great talking points for children whilst they are reading. I think this book is definitely best shared with an adult so maybe these talking points could include the children coming up with their own resolutions about how to behave and how we can all like different things but be respectful of each other. I really enjoy the stories by this author and whilst I’m not sure this was one of my favourites I can see how it could help open further discussion for children about how we behave and respect each other.
Mira and Carl are a sister and brother duo that are the main characters in this story. The two usually like to pick opposite sides f every activity. When they read comics, Carl wants to be the hero. Mira, however, likes the villains more. So one day when they go to the beach, they decide to play these roles. Carl builds elaborate sandcastles as each time his sister finds different ways to try to destroy his efforts. At the end of the day they discover something new. I didn’t really see it coming ahead of time. I think children working in any type of group could benefit from reading this book.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Barbie Englandhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngBarbie England2022-11-21 20:01:512022-11-25 11:41:56Super Enemies by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Barbie England
This book was an interesting read. The story is centered around two siblings who are at opposites with each other on play and other things. Almost like an opposites story. There is a lessen that can be taught to young children from this story but I don’t think the story itself serves as a teaching lesson. It was an enjoyable read nonetheless and I would read it to my child in the future.
This is a kids story about sibling rivavlry. The author sets it up to show a long standing fight between the brother and sister. It culminates with a beach visit where the brother thinks being the hero is better and the sister says it’s better to be the villain. The story concludes with the siblings building and destroying multiple sand castles in an epic hero/villain battle. Cute story!
This is a cute and funny story about sibling rivalry. I’m an only child so I couldn’t relate to the two characters in the book but I had friends who were exactly like these two. I found it hilarious. Anything that one wanted, the other didn’t. One liked something, the other liked the opposite. It was a good example of how different people can be in the same family. Not only was the story entertaining but it had some nice illustrations as well. I think children between the ages of four and eight would enjoy this book best.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Anna Hirschhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngAnna Hirsch2022-11-10 17:09:192022-11-18 08:58:12Super Enemies by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Anna Hirsch
Super Enemies by Lois Wickstrom is an illustrated children’s story aimed at children aged 4 to 8. Bear with me while I get my thoughts in order here as I have really wrestled with my thoughts and how to write my review of this book ever since I finished reading it. And looking at some of the other reviews, I also seem to be the only one here with any concerns. So, let me start by saying that I have read quite a few of Ms. Wickstrom’s storybooks now, and generally, love to share them with my grandchildren as well as giving them quite positive reviews. But this one has left me feeling quite conflicted, and isn’t one I am prepared to share with my grandchildren. Now, how do I voice my opinion in a way that will make sense? Well, I guess I will just wing it and hope my thoughts come across clearly. First of all, I kind of understand what Ms. Wickstrom was trying to achieve with this book- I’m sure she was aiming for a bit of a silly/fun story about sibling rivalry and bonding through play. But unfortunately, it really didn’t come across that way, for me. The story introduces us to Mira and Carl, siblings who seem to constantly bicker and fight. They never see eye to eye at all, and this story would have made more sense to me if there was some show of or example of conflict resolution- showing young ones how we can have differing opinions, choices, likes/dislikes (you get the picture)- without having to resort to fighting. It was quite draining and a little confronting following Mira and Carl and watching them squabble constantly. I kept thinking why aren’t their parents stepping in and ‘positively parenting’ them. Instead, these two get rewarded for their bad behaviour by being taken to the beach for an outing- where their squabbling just seems to escalate to a whole new destructive level. And again, the parent/s did nothing! I could have accepted the whole thing and understood if the parent HAD stepped in and explained bullying, or even mediated some conflict resolution, or the characters had come to an understanding on their own…. As this would have totally changed my opinion of the story and cast it in a way better light. But that was not the case. I know the author thought it was probably inferred, but with little kids, sometimes these complicated things need to be spelled out. There was no agreement between Mira and Carl through the story to say that they would ‘battle’ for the day. There was no coming to an understanding of it all between them. Yes, earlier they had said she was a villain, and he was a superhero, but I don’t think a young child would have necessarily picked up on that. I really felt for Carl, because Mira was quite nasty in her actions. He was being so creative and diligently building his sandcastles- and she was being violent and destructive. It just came across that Mira was intentionally bullying her brother by destroying everything he built- and bullying is not ok. And it is not ok to even hint to young, impressionable minds that bullying is ok. But, again, I must stress that knowing Ms. Wickstrom’s previous work, I am absolutely certain that this was not her intent- and again, I seem to be the only one with any issues what-so-ever, so you need to take that into perspective here too- and that’s probably part of the reason I am writing this review with a bit of a heavy heart. However, I strongly feel that this story could be interpreted the wrong way and send the wrong message. The fact that the parent/s sat back basically while the children fought and didn’t intervene at all, even when things took a violent turn, and with the bullying/fighting occurring over a lengthy period of time, does give the impression that fighting is ok. And it is not ok. I feel it is a toxic message to be sending our young ones. Yes, we all know that siblings fight, even the closest of siblings can have disagreements- and for me, I would want to use such instances as a teaching/learning moment, especially in (this) a children’s story, by explaining conflict resolution, compromise, the idea of agreeing to disagree, and giving anti-bullying/bullying prevention messages etc. This story could have been a great anti-bully/conflict resolution tool with just a little more thought/development, and I am disappointed for the author that it isn’t. Even one of the pictures shows Mira with a slingshot and rocks ready to take aim at one of Carl’s sandcastles- on a CROWDED beach- and the parents did nothing! Someone could have been severely injured. A slingshot isn’t a ‘toy’- let alone to take to a crowded beach. Let alone to condone firing rocks with it???? Or am I being a little too protective. These things should be used under adult supervision, in a controlled environment- not by a little girl on a crowded beach, firing rocks willy-nilly. Just my opinion though. I know that Mira and Carl seemed to be ok with it all in the end- but it has sat badly with me. This is not the review I would have wanted to give Ms. Wickstrom, as I said, she has some truly wonderful children’s stories to her name- but I really feel strongly about nurturing young minds in a more positive way and I feel the ‘messages’ in this book could be misconstrued. Yes, conflict is inevitable, but shouldn’t we be teaching our children the right way to handle conflict and disagreements? I am not writing this review with the intent of insulting the author, as I know she puts her heart and soul into her work. I just felt that this book could send the wrong message… that’s all. I hope this makes sense… I have rated this book 3 stars, even though I had issues with it, as I know how much heart and soul this author puts into her work… Sorry, Ms. Wickstrom, and please don’t hate me for this review- I really did want to love this book as much as your others 💕
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Angela Hayeshttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngAngela Hayes2022-11-10 06:15:002022-11-18 09:00:38Super Enemies by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Angela Hayes
Super Enemies is a children’s book for ages four to eight. My son loves books and loves to read .This story made me think of my own childhood and having three older brothers who liked to torment me but don’t worry I tormented them just as much. Id say now as adults we have a pretty strong bond. Mira and Carl are not only “enemies” but siblings as well. These two fight and argue about everything like who’s going to sit where in the car , which activity they will do and so much more. What will happen when they spend some time at the beach? Can the sibling bond make them stronger or will they always be enemies? I highly recommend this book and my son and I look forward to reading more from this Author.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Dawn Daughenbaughhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngDawn Daughenbaugh2022-11-10 04:30:152022-11-18 08:54:39Super Enemies by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Dawn Daughenbaugh
“Mira and Carl are enemies. They are also brother and sister.”
This book focuses on the mutual love that is shared by siblings. By mutual love, I mean the torturous kind where one tries to outdo their sibling(s). Things like fighting over where to sit in the car, what book to read, what activity to participate in, etc. Mira and Carl find that they have so much fun that they want to do it again tomorrow!
This is a cute kids book and another one by a favorite author! Small children who have siblings will be able to identify with Mira and Carl and their daily antics. This book shows who a person can be individual but yet still participate in the activities and lives of others.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Julie Johnsonhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngJulie Johnson2022-11-09 18:18:242022-11-18 08:57:18Super Enemies by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Julie Johnson
What happens when a day at the beach does not go as planned? Well grab a copy of Super Enemies by Lois to find out.
A superhero, castle, mortal enemies and an ingenious super villain who have starring roles in this children’s tale where brother and sister are pit against each other. Neither of them is willing to back down. Could it be that they are destined to be enemies for life. Will the bonds of siblings win out in the end, and will this make them stronger together than before?
This story made me chuckle as I remember my grandbabies antics. One in particular loves to torment his brother. The little rascal laughs and watches his parents as he does it.
The colourful illustrations help the story along. Aged for children 4 – 8 years old.
Super Enemies by Lois Wickstrom is a super fun lighthearted fun read! I truly enjoy the way this author write’s and I just devoured this story! I really liked the fact that she showcased in this story the fact that brothers and sisters do not always get along. She was showing real life, which is something that anyone can relate to, which is not always getting along with your sibling. I think that this is a wonderful story! I cannot wait to see what the next story that comes out is about because I just love her books!!
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Carlie Del Gallohttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngCarlie Del Gallo2022-11-09 17:24:322022-11-18 08:56:07Super Enemies by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Carlie Del Gallo
A cute story about sibling rivalry. They can’t agree on what to do but they can agree to disagree. I found this story entertaining. It actually helped start a conversation with my grandchildren about playing nice with their brothers and sisters. Many giggles were had over the sandcastle wars. Another winner with this family. A storytime recommendation from us.w
Mira and Carl are enemies. They are also sister and brother.
They never want to do the same thing. Except, they both want to sit behind Daddy when they ride in the car. One day, Dad takes them to the beach. Carl is going to be the super hero and build a castle. Mira will be the super villain and destroy it. So, Carl builds better and stronger castles. And Mira comes up with more ingenious ways to destroy them.
Can being enemies be so much fun that it bonds them together?
Lois is a former high school chemistry teacher and former head science teacher at Science in the City Summer Camp in Philadelphia. She has also been an adjunct science teacher at University of South Florida. Since retiring, she continues to take science classes. Her class in Forensic Biology led to Little Red, The Detective, in which Red is studying fingerprint identification, so she can tell that “Grandma” isn’t who she says she is.
Lois has taken so many science classes that she believes science is the solution to almost every problem, including the dilemmas in fairy tales. She has invented what she calls Science Folktales. In each science-based tale, the protagonist achieves a better ending than the original because of learning scientific principles. She has turned some of these tales into plays.
She has also created a series of Mermaid Science stories, which make use of water science.
Lois is married to the love of her life. She has two children, four grandchildren and a dog.
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