A deliciously morbid tale that will leave readers’ mouths watering (but may upset some animal lovers).
A savory snack food’s origins are revealed in Bott’s picture book.
Young Emily’s favorite snack food in the world is a bacon-wrapped pickle—which just so happens to be her town’s most famous delicacy. One day, while crunching on the salty snack, Emily (who has pale skin and red hair) asks her grandfather who is responsible for the delicious invention. Grandfather launches into the story of Pickle, a pig who once lived in that very town; he scarfed up so many pickles that “his body looked like a giant pickle-filled balloon.” A giant tornado blew away all the town’s animals—except for Pickle, whose gluttony had made him too heavy for the wind to carry—leaving everyone very hungry. A trap created by Emily’s great-great-grandmother (a dynamite pickle) lured the hungry swine to take a bite, and his fate resulted in the crunchy snack Emily loves so much. Bott’s delightful plot and humorous storytelling will capture the imaginations of young readers as the pickle-loving pig becomes the scourge of the town. Kim’s whimsical digital illustrations brilliantly match the story’s zany and fantastical elements, giving the narrative a fairy tale–like quality. Comedic details (like a mole and its child frantically running away from the coming explosion) add layers of humor while providing readers with fun details to discover.
A deliciously morbid tale that will leave readers’ mouths watering (but may upset some animal lovers).Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2025
ISBN: 9781069613745
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Arete Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones.
Not even the arrival of autumn can cool down this impetuous squirrel.
Although Squirrel is skeptical about Bird’s vegetable patch (“Nothing is HAPPENING!”), Bird does produce five (count them) lovely pumpkins. Squirrel picks out a favorite: “The enormous orange one.” Bird hints that Squirrel might want to help out; Squirrel sets out to fetch some work gloves and returns to find only four pumpkins. The frequently distracted Squirrel notices more gourds disappearing and leaps to the conclusion that a thief is near. And where’s Bird?! Has Squirrel’s pal also been taken? Diligently detecting, Squirrel finds clues—peck marks, footprints, and more—and produces a sketch of the suspect. As readers will guess, each clue turns out to point to one of Squirrel and Bird’s friends. Turns out Bird was delivering pumpkins to their pals while saving the big one to give to “my very best friend,” Squirrel. But why does Squirrel haul it up a tree? “So the Pumpkin Thief can’t find it, of course!” A page of pumpkin facts provides the learning component common to all titles in this series. Once more, readers will enjoy the pleasure of prediction and repetition, Squirrel’s silly persistence, Bird’s generosity, and the vibrant color illustrations, balancing orange with green.
More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 28, 2026
ISBN: 9781464268076
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2026
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories.
Kids know vegetables can be scary, but rarely are edible roots out to get someone. In this whimsical mock-horror tale, carrots nearly frighten the whiskers off Jasper Rabbit, an interloper at Crackenhopper Field.
Jasper loves carrots, especially those “free for the taking.” He pulls some in the morning, yanks out a few in the afternoon, and comes again at night to rip out more. Reynolds builds delicious suspense with succinct language that allows understatements to be fully exploited in Brown’s hilarious illustrations. The cartoon pictures, executed in pencil and then digitally colored, are in various shades of gray and serve as a perfectly gloomy backdrop for the vegetables’ eerie orange on each page. “Jasper couldn’t get enough carrots … / … until they started following him.” The plot intensifies as Jasper not only begins to hear the veggies nearby, but also begins to see them everywhere. Initially, young readers will wonder if this is all a product of Jasper’s imagination. Was it a few snarling carrots or just some bathing items peeking out from behind the shower curtain? The ending truly satisfies both readers and the book’s characters alike. And a lesson on greed goes down like honey instead of a forkful of spinach.
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 21, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0297-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 1, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
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