Sloth and Squirrel in a Pickle by Cathy Mealey Ballou

Abstract

Reviewed by: Sloth and Squirrel in a Pickle by Cathy Mealey Ballou Kate Quealy-Gainer, Assistant Editor Mealey, Cathy Ballou Sloth and Squirrel in a Pickle; illus. by Kelly Collier. Kids Can, 2021 [32p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781525302381 $19.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781525304507 $9.99 Reviewed from digital galleys Ad 4-7 yrs Squirrel has his heart set on a pricey bike, and his pal Sloth is willing to help the money-earning effort by joining Squirrel as a pickle packer at the pickle factory. However, Squirrel zips around filling up the jars and Sloth struggles to keep up, and when he is given the job of simply putting the labels on the jars, he puts them on upside down as he hangs from the ceiling. Bossman Mr. Peacock is none too pleased and fires the friends, but a run-in with a frozen treat sparks an idea in Sloth. Soon Pickle Pops are the hottest—er, coolest—snack in the neighborhood, and Squirrel has enough money for the bike. Between frantic Squirrel and chill Sloth, [End Page 388] the pace of this picture book is a bit uneven, and the story loses its thread a few times, especially in the pair’s multiple mistakes at the pickle factory. Still, the slapstick humor—Squirrel slipping on pickle juice, Sloth falling into jars—will likely garner some giggles, and the friends themselves are admirable in their persistent determination to make the bucks to get that bike. The backgrounds in the digital illustrations have a static flatness, but the figures are given movement and depth with pencil-like strokes and shading. This could be paired with Willan’s Jasper & Ollie (BCCB 5/19) for another tale about a set of friends who stick together, even as they move at different paces through the world. Copyright © 2021 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois