Frances doesn't want to play with her little sister, Gloria, but when her friend Albert tells her there are times when he doesn't want to hang out with her because she's a girl, Frances decides to give him a taste of his own medicine by being better friends with Gloria and having a "no boys allowed" rule on their outings. Eventually when they head out with a bunch of food, Albert becomes interested in being included, and includes the girls in the formerly "boys-only" activities.

A pretty good story about the unfairness of "no-boys-allowed" or "no-girls-allowed" attitudes, but I didn't think it was that great that at first Frances is basically using her little sister to get back at her friend... and that the only reason he becomes interested in hanging out with her again is because of food. I'm not sure Frances or Albert are actually very nice badger-kids...

The illustrations in this one weren't very interesting, either. A lot of scenes of the characters talking to each other, but not as many of them doing stuff. ( )

Picture / Graphic Novel - Voice

In this book, Frances and her sister, Gloria, head out to go for a picnic with no boys. They end up meeting Albert and Harold and they play baseball together and other games. Even though Frances and Gloria didn't want to play with boys, they made friends with them and had a great time.

I love this book because it was one of my favorites growing up but it also teaches kids that just because you're a boy or girl doesn't meant that you can't all play together.

Frances wants to play baseball with Albert, but when he shuts her out because she's a girl, Frances decides that her little sister Gloria will be her best friend. They parade past Albert's house with a tempting picnic that proves helpful in making a deal - and Gloria surprises them both with her frog-catching abilities. ( )

Growing up, I loved this book. In the story, Frances comes to learn that her younger sister, Gloria, can be her best friend, too. I have an older sister, so this book was really special for us, and now my sister and I are best friends. I think this is a great, easy read for kids in middle elementary school age. Not only are the pictures adorable, but it has an strong message of the importance of inclusion. Frances was excluded from the basketball game, so she decides to hang out with her sister, whom she thought she could never be friends with because of their differences. This book teaches kids that differences don't mean that you can't get along, and you never know who you could really enjoy spending time with. What I would love to see is, instead of animals, this book be about a child with a disability or a person of a different culture or background. This would translate better to kids, and we need more books about that. I recommend this to elementary school kids! ( )

Frances doesn't think that her younger sister could be friends with each other because she is smaller and different then she is. Their friend albert proves them otherwise. ( )