Stevie

An African-American child resents and then misses a little foster brother.

One day my momma told me, "You know you're gonna have a little friend come stay with you." And I said, "Who is it?" and "For how long?"

That's when Stevie moved in with his crybaby self. He played with my toys and broke them, and he left dirty footprints all over my bed. But then Stevie left again, and I missed him. I missed playing Cowboys and Indians on the stoop and watching cartoons in the morning. Maybe. . .just maybe, Stevie wasn't so bad after all.

Notable Children's Books of 1940–1970 (ALA)
"Best of the Best" Children's Books 1966–1978 (SLJ)
1978 Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
Society of Illustrators Gold Medal
Children's Books of 1969 (Library of Congress)
Children's Books of the Year 1969 (CSA)

Black Americans – Minority Groups List (BL)
Notable Books for the Portrayal of the Black in Children's Literature (Top of the News)
Select Children's Books of 1969 (Publishers Weekly)
Brooklyn Art Books for Children 1974