 Hello, hello. Pinkie and I have a story to tell you. It's called The Big Red Lollipop. And it's written by Rexana Khan and illustrated by Sophie Blackall. And that's the first page there. You see a bag with goodies in it, including a Big Red Lollipop. The story goes like this. I am so excited. I run all the way home from school. Birthday party. There's going to be games and toys, cake and ice cream. Can I go? Sana screams, I want to go too! Ami says, what's a birthday party? It's when they celebrate the day they were born. Why do they do that? They just do. Can I go? There's a picture of the family. Sana screams, I want to go too! So here's Sana screaming, I can't take Sana. She's not invited. Ami says, why not? They don't do that here. Ami says, well, that's not fair. You call up your friend and ask if you can bring Sana or else you cannot go. But Ami, they'll laugh at me. They'll never invite me to another party again. Sana screams, I want to go too! And here she is imagining her friends. I say, look Sana, one day you'll get invited to your own friends parties. Wouldn't you like that better? No, I want to go now! You can really see how she's digging in her heels. I beg and plead, but Ami won't listen. I have no choice. I have to call. Sally says, alright, but it doesn't sound alright. I know she thinks I'm weird. At the party, I'm the only one who brought her little sister. Sana has to win all the games. And when she falls down during musical chairs, she cries like a baby. Can you see Sana? There she is. Crying and there's her big sister. Before we leave the party, Sally's mom gives us little bags. Inside there are chocolates and candies, a whistle, a ruby wing and a big red lollipop. Sana eats her big red lollipop on the way home in the car. I save mine for later. Sana doesn't know how to make things last. By bedtime, her candies are all gone, her whistle is broken and the ruby in her ring is missing. I put my big red lollipop on the top shelf of the fridge to have in the morning. All night long I dream about how good it will taste. In the morning I get up early to have it. Sana's already up. When she sees me, she runs away. I open the fridge door. All that's left of my lollipop is a triangle stuck to a stick. Sana! You can see in the pictures how the big sister is chasing the little sister around. I hear a sound in the front hall closet. I should have known that's where she always hides. I shove aside the coats and boots. I'm going to get you quick as a rat. She scoots through my legs and runs around in a round-of-living room. The dining room, in the kitchen, and yells, rubbing her eyes. Sana runs behind Ami, where I can't get her. What's going on here? says Ami. Sana says, Rubina's trying to get me. Ami puts her hands on her hips. Are you trying to get your little sister again? She ate my lollipop, that greedy thing. She ate it. Ami says, For shame is just a lollipop. Can't you share with your little sister? I want to cry, but I don't. Sana runs to the fridge and brings back the triangle stuck to the stick. Look, I didn't eat all of your lollipop. I left the triangle for you. See? says Ami. She didn't eat all of it. She's sharing with you. Go ahead, take the triangle. So I have to take it. I ate the triangle, but I don't. With all of my might, I throw it across the room. It skitters under the sofa. Sana scurries after it and eats that, too. The worst thing is that all the girls at school know that if they invite me to their birthday parties, I have to bring Sana. I don't get any invitations for a very long time. Then one day Sana comes home waving an invitation. Ami, I've been invited to a birthday party. There's going to be games and toys and cake and ice cream. Can I go? Our little sister Maryam screams, I want to go, too. Sana says, No, I can't take her. She's not invited. Ami says, Well, it's only fair. You went to Rubina's friend's party. And now Rubina and Maryam can go to your friend's party. I say, Leave me out of it. Ami says, Fine, then you have to take Maryam. There's Maryam and there's Sana. There's Ami. There's Rubina. Now it's Sana's turn to beg and plead. Ami won't listen. Sana's begging so hard she's crying. But still, Ami won't listen. I could just watch her have to take Maryam. I could just let her make a fool of herself at that party. I could just let her not be invited to any more parties. But something makes me tap Ami on the shoulder. What? Don't make Sana take Maryam to the party. No, says Ami. No, I say. Ami thinks for a moment, then says, OK. So Sana gets to go by herself. After the party, I hear a knock on my door. What do you want? I ask Sana. Here, she hands me a big green lollipop. This is for you. Thanks, I say. And after that, we are friends. What do you think of that, Pinky? Do you like green lollipops or red ones? Or maybe you just like having a sibling to play with. Sometimes it's not easy with our brothers and sisters and siblings at home. But that's how we learn to share and learn to work things out. All right, I hope you liked this story. And if you want to read it at home again, it's called Big Red Lollipop.