When Carrot Met Cookie

by Erica S. Perl, Jonathan Fenske (Illustrator)

Overview

Can a vegetable and a dessert really be friends? Find out in this sweet story of solidarity!

Cookie and Carrot are a true dynamic duo. Carrot teaches Cookie how to dip (in hummus), and Cookie teaches Carrot how to dunk (in milk). But when Cookie and Carrot's other pals make fun of their friendship, the two start to wonder if different food groups can ever really be friends. Packed with plenty of puns, this satisfying tale of acceptance and forgiveness will leave kids asking for more.

Exciting, easy-to-read books are the stepping stone a young reader needs to bridge the gap between being a beginner and being fluent.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593226322
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	09/28/2021
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 7.69(h) x 0.16(d)
Lexile:	AD480L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 7 Years

About the Author

Erica S. Perl (she/her) is the author of The Capybara Conspiracy, When Life Gives You OJ, Aces Wild, Vintage Veronica, the Arnold and Louise chapter book series, and a number of picture books. She lives in Washington, DC, with her family. Learn more about her on Twitter @ericaperl or at ericaperl.com.

Jonathan Fenske (he/him) is the Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor-winning author-illustrator of A Pig, a Fox, and a Box; I Will Race You Through This Book!; After Squidnight; Something Stinks! and more. He lives in Simpsonville, South Carolina.

Editorial Reviews

"This tale of two unlikely friends is sure to delight." —School Library Journal

"Geisel Honoree Fenske offers bright, uncluttered cartoon art in this comedic tale of friendship and tolerance." —Publishers Weekly

"...Perl and Fenske’s collaboration is a pun-filled exploration of friendship." —Kirkus

From the Publisher

09/01/2021

PreS-Gr 1—Cookie and Carrot are the best of friends. Carrot is grounded and supportive while Cookie is sweet with a warm personality. Even though they're different, they share their hobbies and teach each other new things. Their friendship is tested when Cookie's friends, Cupcake and Lollipop, say mean things about Carrot. When Cookie doesn't defend Carrot, this makes Carrot not want to hang out with Cookie. Then Carrot's friends, Cuke and Zuke, say mean things about Cookie and the rift between the two friends widens when Carrot doesn't speak up. Carrot and Cookie learn that even though they come from different backgrounds that doesn't mean they can't be good friends. They even gather all of Cookie's family members and both friend groups together to prove that they can get along. The picture book's color scheme is vibrant and colorful for a visually engaging reading experience. The backgrounds creatively use different food items as the building blocks for the setting. The work provides an important lesson about standing up for your friends. It also reminds the audience that they can be friends with all types of people regardless of where they're from or to what food group they belong! It is a timely reminder to respect people from different backgrounds and recognize that the stale ideas of the past shouldn't dictate the future. VERDICT This tale of two unlikely friends is sure to delight.—Myiesha Speight, formerly at Towson Univ., Baltimore

School Library Journal

07/19/2021

Packed with food puns and speech bubbles, this picture book fable by Perl features warring factions of anthropomorphic vegetables and desserts. Cookie, a big-eyed chocolate chip variety, and Carrot, a similarly large-eyed orange specimen with a fluffy green stem, become fast friends when they meet in the park one day. “Carrot taught Cookie to dip,” one page reads, showing the duo stepping into a bowlful of hummus; on the next, “Cookie taught Carrot to dunk” attends an image of the pair holding their breath in a glass of milk. But when each snack’s other friends express their derision—and each friend, in turn, fails to defend the other—their friendship takes a sour turn, until Cookie consults Aunt C.C., a slice of carrot cake. Geisel Honoree Fenske offers bright, uncluttered cartoon art in this comedic tale of friendship and tolerance. Ages 4–6. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

2021-07-27
An anthropomorphic carrot and cookie test the limits of their friendship.

Since meeting on their trikes in the park, “bright, grounded” Carrot and “sweet, warm” Cookie have become fast friends. Carrot teaches Cookie to dip in hummus. Cookie teaches Carrot to dunk in milk. But, when Cookie’s other friends Cupcake and Lollipop mock Carrot, Carrot wilts. And, when Carrot’s other vegetable friends mock Cookie, Cookie feels crummy. Neither stands up for the other, straining their relationship and sending Cookie to seek guidance from family. Grandpa (a fig bar) spouts “stale” ideas about desserts acting like desserts. But the child of a muffin and a carrot, Aunt C.C. (a slice of carrot cake) proves that desserts and vegetables can not only be friends but fall in love. Is it too late for Cookie and Carrot to reconcile? With around 190 words and their variants, Perl and Fenske’s collaboration is a pun-filled exploration of friendship. Though the higher word count and relatively small type necessitate some reading fluency, the text never exceeds five sentences on a page and still remains accessible to emerging readers. Fenske’s bright, colorful cartoon art gives personality to each food. Delightful background details, like a pasta-noodle slide and broccoli trees, up the charm factor. But while the overall message is sunny and welcoming, the vegetable/dessert binary trivializes the complexity of racial and cultural difference by using edible stand-ins. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Crisp execution doesn’t mitigate a soggy premise. (Early reader. 4-6)

Kirkus Reviews