Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie

January 24, 2011
"I had a bad August," announces eight-year-old Eleanor at the start of this empathetic debut novel. The main reason? Her beloved and longtime babysitter, Bibi, is moving from Brooklyn to Florida. No less resonant for its simplicity and accessibility, Eleanor's ingenuous free-verse monologue should strike a chord with readers, especially those who may have had to cope with the loss of a loved one. When Eleanor's mother takes time off from work after Bibi's departure (reassuring Eleanor that they'll "get through this together"), Eleanor, still smarting, refuses to engage in any of the activities that she and Bibi enjoyed ("We could not go to Roma
Pizza./ Because Bibi loved Roma Pizza.... We could not ride my bike./ Because Bibi helped pick out my bike"). Eleanor's gradual warming to her new sitter is affectingly narrated, and Cordell's halftone cartoons convey the story's pathos and humor, as well as Eleanor's changeable moods. When the girl's best friend returns from vacation and they start third grade, it seems certain that Eleanor's September will be better than her August. Her fans will want to read about it. Ages 8–10.

February 15, 2011

When Bibi, her first and favorite babysitter, moves away, it takes all of August for 8-year-old Eleanor to get beyond her sense of loss and get used to a new caretaker. Her parents grieve, too; her mother even takes some time off work. But, as is inevitable in a two-income family, eventually a new sitter appears. Natalie is sensible and understanding. They find new activities to do together, including setting up a lemonade stand outside Eleanor's Brooklyn apartment building, waiting for Val, the mail carrier, and taking pictures of flowers with Natalie's camera. Gradually Eleanor adjusts, September comes, her new teacher writes a welcoming letter, her best friend returns from summer vacation and third grade starts smoothly. Best of all, Val brings a loving letter from Bibi in Florida. While the story is relatively lengthy, each chapter is a self-contained episode, written simply and presented in short lines, accessible to those still struggling with the printed word. Cordell's gray-scale line drawings reflect the action and help break up the text on almost every page. This first novel is a promising debut. Eleanor's concerns, not only about her babysitter, but also about playmates, friends and a new school year will be familiar to readers, who will look forward to hearing more about her life. (Fiction. 7-9)

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April 1, 2011

Gr 2-4-Eleanor is having a bad August, so bad it is "like pickle juice on a cookie." Her longtime babysitter, Bibi, is moving away to take care of her ailing father, and the eight-year-old is having trouble coping with her loss. Her parents and new babysitter, Natalie, do all they can to help her, but Eleanor is constantly reminded of Bibi and the things they did together. Writing a letter to her helps and she meets the mail carrier, Val, who promises to keep a lookout for a reply. Eleanor does receive a letter in the mail, but it is from her third-grade teacher welcoming all of his new students to school. The bustle of a new school year helps Eleanor, a talk with Natalie about the importance of first babysitters does, too, and then on the first day of school Bibi's reply arrives. After reading it, Eleanor realizes that Bibi will always be special to her, no matter where she lives. Through short, easy sentences, Sternberg has captured the feelings of a young girl, the worries that loom large, and the importance of small matters. Early chapter-book readers will identify with the protagonist and enjoy reading about her. Cordell's pen-and-ink drawings effectively illustrate the ups and downs of Eleanor's life.-Terrie Dorio, Santa Monica Public Library, CA

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2011
Grades 2-4 Eleanor Abigail Kane has just experienced an August as dreadful as the black parts on a banana: her beloved babysitter, Bibi, has moved away to Florida to care for her ill father, and Eleanor is bereft. How she grows to love a new babysitter, while still cherishing Bibi, forms the center of this understated early chapter book. The story is told in straightforward, steady verse that echoes the gradual pace of Eleanors healing process. Surrounded by adults who are sympathetic to her loss, Eleanor is allowed time to grieve while being gently encouraged to find joy in new experiences and friends. Cordells winsome cartoon drawings complement the text without overcrowding the verse. The phrase pickle juice on a cookie is used at first to describe something tragic, and then something ridiculous, and fortunately, this title falls into neither category. It tells a simple, poignant story that will resonate with any child who has ever had to say good-bye.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)

May 1, 2011
It's the summer before the start of third grade, and eight-year-old Eleanor is bereft when her babysitter Bibi moves away to care for her sick father. Her parents tell her that she doesn't need Bibi as much anymore, and that everything will be okay. "'Everything will not be okay,' I said. / 'This is as bad as somebody dying,' I said." Eleanor's parents treat her with compassion, and her new babysitter Natalie sensitively gives her room to grieve, letting Eleanor set the tone. Gradually, she begins to get over the sharp sting of doing familiar things with a new person and even begins to enjoy doing new things. One day, they set up a lemonade stand; on another, they go on a walk taking pictures of flowers. Most mornings, they sit quietly and even meditatively on a bench in Eleanor's Brooklyn neighborhood, people-watching and waiting for Val, the letter carrier (and now a friend), to bring Eleanor a letter from Bibi. Sternberg uses short sentences spaced on the page in very short lines, like poetry, and keeps the twenty-seven chapters very brief. The line drawings add humor, while the first-person narration and the authentic and very specific details of Eleanor's emotional journey will help draw child readers into her story. susan dove lempke

(Copyright 2011 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)