You Are the Pea, and I Am the Carrot

September 30, 2013
Debut author Elkins hits the collaborator jackpot with veteran cartoonist and master of sly visual humor Lemaitre, who takes a catalogue of cute but unsurprising rhymes about food and friendship and turns them into a showcase of inventive foodie anthropomorphism and sweet silliness. For “You are the dog, and I am the relish,” Lemaitre imagines the hot dog as a glamorous celebrity descending a staircase, with the relish acting as a coif worthy of Lady Gaga. Elsewhere, bread and butter slow dance to a gramophone (“I am the butter, and you are the bread”), and the pairing of “Sunny-side eggs with Canadian ham” inspires a Northwoods scene, with the eggs’ bright yellow yolks serving as eyes mooning over the canoe-paddling, lumberjack-outfitted bacon. Every vignette is worth at least a giggle, usually an “Awww,” and, in one instance, a book of its own: What’s the story behind the tearful reunion of macaroni and a cheese wedge on the landscape of an alien world? Ages 3–7. Author’s agent: Becky Amster, Becky Amster Literary Enterprises. Illustrator’s agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties.

October 1, 2013
This slight, rhyming ode--from one mate to another--employs food pairings as metaphors for the couple's synchronous relationship, an odd subject for a children's book. "You are the pea, / And I am the carrot. // I am the butter, and you are the bread. / Warm fried chicken served with mashed potatoes, // Zesty dressing on a cold lettuce bed." Four additional quatrains sling similar imagery, sandwiched between four-line choruses like "We belong together. / We're such a tasty sweet. / We're yummy, scrumptious morsels. / We're the perfect little treat." Awkward elision is sometimes deployed for the sake of scansion: " 'mallows" and " 'jacks" are a bit bewildering without their respective "marsh" and "flap." Lemaitre's pale, digitally colored drawings stage the personified food duos in whimsical, cartoonish settings: Blueberries dive into a cup of yogurt under a circus tent; a funnel cake skis down a hill of powdered sugar. The girl and boy (both Caucasian) are depicted with enough ambiguity that readers can, by preference, interpret them as adults, teens or kids. While some pictorial details amuse, the green tint of "a glass of sweet tea" strikes a slightly discordant note. The verse verges on doggerel. The text's springboard is a cherished, symbiotic adult relationship (as Elkins' dedication attests), which is lovely--but this sugarcoated attempt to render it palatable to children falls as flat as a 'jack. A few funny visuals fail to redeem a saccharine premise. (Picture book. 3-7)

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October 1, 2013

PreS-Gr 3-In this debut picture book, a boy and girl reflect on a long list of foods that belong together: peas and carrots, macaroni and cheese, bread and butter, and extend the concept to themselves. "We belong together./Mouthwatering are we./We complement each other./We're the perfect recipe." The concept is sound, celebrating the love between friends or family members, but the execution falls flat on several levels. The rhyme scheme is forced, causing the abbreviation of "marshmallows" to "'mallows" and "flapjacks" to "'jacks," and an awkward verse ends the story. "And I am the salsa to your chip./'Cause we will always belong together/And will never-ever-ever-be split!" The cartoon illustrations, pencil with computer-added color, are engaging on some pages but slightly off on others, featuring green-colored sweet tea and a large pink marshmallow. The age of the characters depicted also seems somewhat ambiguous, making it unclear if they are youngsters playing together or teens on a date.-Martha Link Yesowitch, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, NC

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2013
Preschool-K Beginning at a farmers' market that leads to a picnic, this title focuses on the many foods that go together. Childlike pencil illustrations, mainly in greens, oranges, and browns, show two children taking turns imagining two foods that are as compatible as they are: You are the 'jacks, and I am the syrup. I am the biscuit, and you are the jam. A cup of yogurt with fresh blueberries. Sunny-side eggs with Canadian ham. Whimsical drawings show the pancakes and syrup in a parade, while the biscuit and the jam enjoy an outdoor caf' in Paris. With just a few hiccups in the scanning and some slightly off rhymes (chips and crisp, cream and bean, chip and split), the book makes its point. After each four-line rhyme, the pictures return to the two children enjoying their day in the countryside. Use this tasty offering in storytimes focusing on food.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)