The Selfish Sister - by David Sedaris (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

New York Times-bestselling author David Sedaris offers a hilariously twisted take on selfishness and greed in this picture book featuring funny (and demented!) illustrations by New Yorker artist Bob Staake that will delight readers and parents alike.

This selfish sister only thinks of herself, and she wants it all--even her brother's kidney! Everything must belong to her! But who can possibly tell her "no"? Her family must cater to every whim--but where does that leave sister in the end?

With rhymes and illustrations David Sedaris and Bob Staake have created a sickly hysterical yet genuine romp of a read.

Review Quotes

★"'The selfish sister, pronoun 'she, ' // only thinks of / me me me!' A green-skinned, one-toothed little tyrant, complete with her own tiny crown, terrorizes one and all with her insufferable greed and many demands. Yet Sedaris' deft rhymes make listening to her mandates an utter treat... A lesser artist might quail at the sheer variety of objects, concepts, and even seasons that this little despot lays claim to, but Staake is more than up to the challenge. Inventive stylings in pen and ink give this retro-looking tale some visual panache and a particularly contemporary bit of brazen appeal. Unlike with Sedaris' previous foray into picture books (2024's Pretty Ugly, illustrated by the late Ian Falconer), here he opts to include a smidgen of a lesson at the end of the tale, off-handedly mentioning that the sister has everything she could want, except for friends. Thankfully, this mic drop of a conclusion avoids any danger of didacticism."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"The titular sister of this second subversive picture book from Sedaris (Pretty Ugly) is wildly covetous--she's even portrayed with skin that's an envious green... Staake (Lost) brings anarchic Ren & Stimpy-like energy to the proceedings via digitally colored pencil and ink drawings that give the book a raw, dark-carnival giddiness... the illustrations supply a pressure-relief valve, giving readers permission to acknowledge what they know in their bones: siblings can be absolutely awful."--Publishers Weekly

About the Author

David Sedaris is the author of Barrel Fever and Holidays on Ice, as well as collections of personal essays, Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, When You Are Engulfed in Flames. Sedaris' pieces appear regularly in The New Yorker and have twice been included in "The Best American Essays." There are over ten million copies of his books in print and they have been translated into 25 languages.

Bob Staake has authored/illustrated over 75 children's books, which have been translated into over 12 languages around the world. One of the nation's most prolific illustrators, Bob Staake's clients have included The New Yorker, TIME, McDonald's, Vanity Fair, Amtrak, Young & Rubicam, American Express, Sony, United Airlines, Nickelodeon, and countless others.