Carol and the Pickle-Toad

Carol, a pale-skinned girl with a cloud of dark hair, round red spectacles, and striped overalls, has a unique hat. The hat is a toad, humorously portrayed as an amorphous blob, and it orders Carol around mercilessly: "No, no, that's no good," the toad opines, dismissing a painting Carol's working on, "How about me in very tall boots?" One day, the toad-hat is unexpectedly whisked away. Carol feels the loss of companionship, and assembles a substitute out of a pickle and eggs. Because the pickle-toad is less bossy, change comes quickly ("Carol painted all kinds of new things, not just toads"), but it's not until the pickle-toad is also spirited away that Carol discovers what was really missing in her journey of self-discovery: her own voice. Shapiro (Ooko) employs a wry narrative tone; her gleefully exuberant spreads, created with "watercolor, gouache, collage, matzo ball soup, colored pencils, and a toad," feature an inclusive group of city denizens, including a cast of varying skin tones and ages. With visual abundance and plenty of silliness, Shapiro's gentle tale compassionately follows Carol as she learns that she can eat what she wishes, make art, and speak courageously, all on her own. Ages 4-8. (May)

Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

K-Gr 3--Carol, a white child with red spectacles, wears a bossy toad as a hat, and that toad tells her how to behave. When a pigeon swoops up the "hat," Carol constructs another of a deli pickle and egg slices for eyes. That "hat" also tells her how to behave, but nicely. When a pigeon takes that hat, too, Carol learns to listen to her own voice. At its core, this imaginative story is grounded in a specific and unexpected metaphor that shows how Carol learns to trust her own judgment. The pace of the story can feel offbeat at times. Abrupt surprises bring Carol closer to the realization that her opinions are important, but the symbolism of Carol's hats may be easily overlooked by readers who are engaged by the humor of these unusual elements and overall entertainment of the story. Illustrated with mixed media, every space is filled with stylized details that remain impressively consistent throughout the story. A free flowing, yet organized, organic color scheme surrounds Carol with a balance of earthy pinks, grays, greens, and beige, in high and low saturations, as she discovers her favorite hobbies, like painting and trying new food. VERDICT An unpredictable story, for the most thoughtful reader, about a young city girl discovering how to voice her own opinion.--Rachel Mulligan, Westampton, NJ

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

One of CCBC's Best Books for Kids and Teens, Fall 2021

"This luxuriant, chapeau-centric appreciation of city living exudes a free-wheeling spirit of its own." —Kirkus Reviews

"Alternately funny and sweetly edifying. . . . [C]onveys a meaningful message of quieting inner critics and approaching the world, and oneself, with kindness." —Booklist

"With visual abundance and plenty of silliness, Shapiro's gentle tale compassionately follows Carol as she learns that she can eat what she wishes, make art, and speak courageously, all on her own." —Publishers Weekly

"One of Shapiro's most playful and appealing qualities as an author and artist is her combination of themes and images in a quirky way." —Imaginary Elevators