Pickles To Pittsburgh

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In Pickles to Pittsburgh, the Barretts' sequel to the delightfully funny, bestselling Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, we check back in with Kate and Henry as they eagerly await Grandpa's return from an unusual vacation. Kate dreams about a postcard Grandpa has sent, and the story begins. Kate and Henry pilot a plane, landing on a runway of crisp bacon strips next to a field of giant broccoli stalks and oversized hamburgers. Passing through an orange-juice rain, they approach the town of Chewandswallow, which "used to be a very ordinary town, except that instead of weather, food rained down from the sky for breakfast, lunch, and dinner." Times have changed in Chewandswallow, and readers will love finding out how storms of gigantic food threatened normal life until eventually the Falling Food Company was created, sending food to hungry people around the world. Ron Barrett's comical, detailed ink-and-watercolor illustrations and the lively story make this a satisfying sequel to a delicious classic. Pickles to Pittsburgh is an excellent bedtime book--just keep a snack handy! (Ages 4 to 8)


From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2. After a hiatus of almost 20 years, the Barretts take readers back to the town of Chewandswallow. The townspeople who fled when the delectable weather got out of control have returned for an industrious clean-up operation. They take the bountiful harvest and transport it to all parts of the world?Eggplants to Ecuador, Chili to Chile, Pickles to Pittsburgh?ending poverty and drought worldwide. Food is omnipresent: a giant roasted turkey sits atop Kathy's Gift Shop while syrup flows down the main street past a cinema where Bread & Chocolate and Breakfast at Tiffany's are playing. Ron Barrett's cleverly detailed illustrations remain true to his work in the original title; layout and design also remain faithful and make this sequel equally appealing. As Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Atheneum, 1978) has likely remained a staple in most libraries, the lapse between the two books should make little difference. This tribute to a land of milk and honey will stimulate children's imaginations?not to mention their taste buds.?Christy Norris, Valley Cottage Library, NYCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
[Editor's Note: The following is a combined review with LILLY'S PURPLE PLASTIC PURSE, CHATO'S KITCHEN, THE RELATIVES CAME, and PETE'S A PIZZA.]--Special relationships between characters are the stuff of engaging stories. Each character becomes a vivid part of the listener's imagination. In THE RELATIVES CAME, the annual summer trip is fondly remembered. Similar car trips, greetings, spreads of food and conversation, and bulging houses will spring to mind. The relaxed pace of this recording provides the time to savor these memories. In PICKLES TO PITTSBURGH, Judi Barrett revisits the wonderful world of Chewandswallow, featuring immense foodstuffs, and from this world distinct characters emerge. Listeners will appreciate the interplay of Grandpa's adventure with Kate's dream and the relationships of the fantastic foods. In PETE'S A PIZZA, Pete is in a terrible state, and it is his father who has the wisdom to humor him back to his usual self by making Pete into a pizza pie. The giggles of Pete and the listeners increase as Pete is kneaded, stretched, spread, baked, and (almost) sliced. Food is also center stage in CHATO'S KITCHEN. In hospitable fashion, Chato invites his new neighbors to dinner. Dreaming of a mouse feast, Chato and his cat buddy think up and stir up a delicious meal with Spanish flavor, only to be greeted at the door by the mice and their special guest. The twist in the anticipated outcome and the deep richness of Chato's voice are memorable. While special treats baked for school are a part of the story, it is the interaction of Lilly with her teacher that is central and poignant in LILLY'S PURPLE PLASTIC PURSE. Their days have ups and downs in typical childlike mode as only Kevin Henkes can portray. Will Lilly weather the humiliation when Mr. Slinger takes (just for the day) her prized new possession? In this recording Lilly is enjoyably squeaky, and Mr. Slinger is kindly authoritative and wise. Background voices are used effectively to interject the "bubble stories" from the text. While listening to this collection of stories is a distinct pleasure, the illustrations help to make the experience memorable. Listen, look, and enjoy! A.R. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Kirkus Reviews
From the creators of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (1978) comes another bizarre food tale. Kate and Henry receive a postcard from their vacationing Grandpa, and the card prompts a wild dream for Kate: She and her brother fly to the land of Chewandswallow, where colossal foodstuffs rain down from the sky, and where the citizens, accustomed to the bounty, ship food to wherever there is a need for it. When Kate wakes up, it is the day that Grandpa returns home, bearing giant chocolate chip cookies, just like the ones in . . . The tale is amiable, and the line drawings captivating, but the message of generosity is laid on as thick as the peanut butter in one of Chewandswallow's gigantic sandwiches. It takes over the story, leaving it without any momentum of its own. (Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


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[Editor's Note: The following is a combined review with LILLY'S PURPLE PLASTIC PURSE, CHATO'S KITCHEN, THE RELATIVES CAME, and PETE'S A PIZZA.]—Special relationships between characters are the stuff of engaging stories. Each character becomes a vivid part of the listener's imagination. In THE RELATIVES CAME, the annual summer trip is fondly remembered. Similar car trips, greetings, spreads of food and conversation, and bulging houses will spring to mind. The relaxed pace of this recording provides the time to savor these memories. In PICKLES TO PITTSBURGH, Judi Barrett revisits the wonderful world of Chewandswallow, featuring immense foodstuffs, and from this world distinct characters emerge. Listeners will appreciate the interplay of Grandpa's adventure with Kate's dream and the relationships of the fantastic foods. In PETE'S A PIZZA, Pete is in a terrible state, and it is his father who has the wisdom to humor him back to his usual self by making Pete into a pizza pie. The giggles of Pete and the listeners increase as Pete is kneaded, stretched, spread, baked, and (almost) sliced. Food is also center stage in CHATO'S KITCHEN. In hospitable fashion, Chato invites his new neighbors to dinner. Dreaming of a mouse feast, Chato and his cat buddy think up and stir up a delicious meal with Spanish flavor, only to be greeted at the door by the mice and their special guest. The twist in the anticipated outcome and the deep richness of Chato's voice are memorable. While special treats baked for school are a part of the story, it is the interaction of Lilly with her teacher that is central and poignant in LILLY'S PURPLE PLASTIC PURSE. Their days have ups and downs in typical childlikemode as only Kevin Henkes can portray. Will Lilly weather the humiliation when Mr. Slinger takes (just for the day) her prized new possession? In this recording Lilly is enjoyably squeaky, and Mr. Slinger is kindly authoritative and wise. Background voices are used effectively to interject the "bubble stories" from the text. While listening to this collection of stories is a distinct pleasure, the illustrations help to make the experience memorable. Listen, look, and enjoy! A.R. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine


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