It's night time in the rainforest, and when Mama tells young Faly to shut his eyes, he objects. "Only if Mahandry sleeps, too," he tells his mother. "But I am bigger than you, Faly," the older lemur brother answers. "I am allowed to go to bed later."

Thus begins a spirited back-and-forth and a family gambol that brings a mama and her two lemur sons from the hollow of their tree to a dangerous wide river crossing to a slippery rushing waterfall and eventually to a tall tree filled with orchids to snack on. And with each step, the brothers notice who gets help from Mama or who gets the kind of independence that comes with being big. Each child desires both and quietly reflects on why he would rather be more like the other. No matter, it always seems true to one brother that the other has the advantage.

Anne Gutman's poignant tale of siblings seesawing through a typical day en famille rings with truth, humour, and sensitivity. Georg Hallensleben's paintings of the rainforest in pinks, browns, and greens are a feast for the eyes and a treat for nature fans, especially for young readers who are being introduced to the magic of the rainforest and its inhabitants for the first time.