Woo hoo! It’s Perfect Picture Book Friday!
And what could be more perfect on a Perfect Picture Book Friday than the announcement that, although the voting time isn’t quite up yet, it appears the prevailing opinion is that we SHOULD run the Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Challenge again this year! Who knows what Perfect Picture Books that might lead to?!
So I guess I’d better get my thinking cap on and start cogitating on possible challenge prompts! And in the spirit of teamwork, embodied in today’s Perfect Picture Book, anyone who has a great idea for prizes and/or wants to donate one should feel free to email me (you can use the handy-dandy website contact form) and earn my everlasting gratitude 😊 as well of that of the participants who will end up benefiting!
Now, let’s have a look at this delightful book!
Title: Sloth And Squirrel In A Pickle
Written By: Cathy Ballou Mealey
Illustrated By: Kelly Collier
Publisher: Kids Can Press, May 4, 2021, fiction
Suitable For Ages: 3-7
Themes/Topics: teamwork, perseverance, initiative, friendship
Opening: “‘Sloth, I want a bike,” said Squirrel. “I want a bike just like that. We could go FAST!’
Sloth nodded s-l-o-w-l-y.
‘Let’s go to the store!’ said Squirrel.”
Brief Synopsis: Squirrel wants a bike, but it turns out they cost more than he thought. To earn money, he and Sloth get a job at a pickle packing factory. But that turns out not to be as easy as he thought. When they end their first (and only) day of work at the factory, Sloth uses his money to buy them treats. But that doesn’t work out as well as he thought. Until Squirrel recognizes Sloth’s accidental genius and they finally get their bike. Which turns into something neither of them thought… 😊
Links To Resources: think of something you want – how might you and a friend work together to earn money to buy it? draw a picture or write a story of the item you want and what you’d do to earn it; some games require teamwork – try having a three-legged race or building a marshmallow tower; work together to complete a scavenger hunt – here are 8 Scavenger Hunt Ideas for Kids
Why I Like This Book: The friendship between this unlikely pair of buddies shines out from the first lines of the story. They are a team! They see each others’ good qualities. When they make mistakes, there is no blame – they help each other out. When Sloth, in an act of kindness, unknowingly comes up with an idea that will solve their problem, Squirrel recognizes the possibilities and unselfishly gives him the credit. And when they get what they set out to get, Sloth surprises everyone by by showing he and Squirrel have more in common than it might have at first appeared. This hilarious story will have young readers laughing at Sloth and Squirrel’s antics, and discovering with delight all the little details in the fun and lively (and pickle-juice hued 😊) illustrations. An all-around entertaining story that celebrates friendship, teamwork, and taking the initiative to make things happen!
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 😊
For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.
PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific blog links (and any other info you feel like filling out 😊) to the form below so we can all come see what fabulous picture books you’ve chosen to share this week!
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! 😊
Susanna Leonard Hill 
OMG, Susanna I love Cathy Ballou Mealey’s books and this one looks amazing. I can’t wait to get a hold of it! Thanks for a great review.
Congratulations, Cathy! I can tell this book will be tons of fun – a wonderful read aloud!
Love this slapstick humor and I know that kids will love it, too!
Friendship! Humor! Teamwork! This has it all!
Timeless!!!
Thank you, Susanna, for showcasing this book.
Thank you Susanna! These playful pickle pals are so pleased to be PPBF profiled!
(Have I exceeded my alliteration allotment for a Friday? ;))
And so am I! Grateful for all your work to boost picture books every Friday and invite us all along for the ride!.
Happy reading everyone!
This looks like such a wonderfully silly story! I can’t wait to read it! Thanks for sharing!!
I love a good sloth story! Looking forward to reading Cathy’s!
Sloths, squirrels, pickles, AND a clever ending?? These are my four favorite things! Cannot wait to read this!
Also, I’m excited about the possibility of the Mix-n-Match challenge! One of my entries from last year (It was the fairytale in a different setting that I expanded) just got accepted into an anthology!
Congratulations, Cathy! Sloths, squirrels, and pickles — what a clever and humorous way to encourage to kids to work together to achieve a goal. Kids will love this silly story. Perfect classroom read aloud!
Everything about this book screams “read me now!!” Actually, who can resist a book that features pickles, a sloth, AND a squirrel? I’m hooked!
This book looks like so much fun! I can picture the kids giggling along. I also love friendship and teamwork books. Congrats!
This book looks fabulous. I was sold at the title.
I’m a fan of Cathy’s WHEN A TREE GROWS and this sounds equally entertaining. Congrats, Cathy! Can’t wait to read it. And hooray, Susanna. Loved the Mix n Match contest last year. So happy you’re doing it again 🙂
What a ridiculous, hilarious concept! Love it:)