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Too Pickley!

by Jean Reidy
32p. 978-1-59990-309-5.
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 1—As in Too Purpley! (Bloomsbury, 2010), Reidy and Leloup's story features a fussy child. This time, it's a boy who is an extremely picky eater. "I am hungry!" he declares as he sits at the table, bib in place. But he finds fault with every type of food put in front of him—"Too wrinkly,/too squishy,/too fruity,/too fishy"—although the little furry pal at his side seems game to try them all. With so many options being shot down (including desserts) one begins to wonder if the child will find anything worth eating. Finally, on the last page, he pronounces something, "So yummy! All done." Unfortunately, since his plate is clean, readers don't find out what that perfect food is, and this abrupt ending is somewhat jarring. Leloup's bright, digitally mastered illustrations keep up with the comic pace of Reidy's bouncy rhymes. Fans of the first book, as well as the Berenstains' Old Hat New Hat (Random, 1970), will enjoy the exaggerated humor of this hard-to-please youngster.—Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT
A little boy has a different complaint about each new food: "Too wrinkly, / Too squishy, / Too fruity, / Too fishy!" Bright, bouncy illustrations with background patterns to match the offending dishes show the boy, his pet, and their amusing reactions to each dish. At last, the satiated eater sits grinning in front of his empty plate: "So yummy! / All done."
Reviewed by Martha Simpson , Jul 01, 2010

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