Tiny Pie

March 25, 2013
First-time children’s book authors Bailey and Oatman mix up a cooking fantasy that starts with a “grown-up party.” Molded salads and petits fours are on the buffet, but young Ellie the elephant is told to “stay out of the way—or else go to bed.” After a clandestine trip to the kitchen, a peep through a mouse hole reveals a tiny television studio filming a cooking show. As the host makes the apple pie of the title, he entertains the audience with nursery-rhyme patter about the five senses and their contribution to cooking: “And if they ask.../ ‘What good are your tiny ears?/ What can you hear?’/ Tell them you hear.../ ‘Apples on a chopping block—/ But please be careful, dear.’ ” The soiree that follows, with Ellie and the dressed-up mice dancing on the countertop, clearly trumps the adult gathering. Hemingway (Bad Apple) supplies retro glamour in plenty, from boxy television sets and chrome kitchen stools to Ellie’s mother’s frilly, polka-dotted apron. Food stories are perennial favorites, and an apple pie recipe itself, from famed restaurateur Alice Waters, is a tasty bonus. Ages 3–6.

April 15, 2013
Ellie the elephant learns to make a tiny apple pie. Ellie is brushed off during a "grown-up party," but instead of going to bed, she makes an amazing discovery. Inside the little mouse hole is a TV studio where a mouse chef is teaching the audience to make a tiny apple pie. To rhyming couplets, Ellie learns about mixing and rolling out dough, chopping apples and seasoning the pies. It took four people to create this confusing concoction: two writers, one illustrator and chef Alice Waters, whose Edible Schoolyard Project is to receive a portion of the proceeds from sales of this book. Busy, bright illustrations show an array of animals wearing everything from tuxedos to evening dresses to a chef's coat. Children will empathize when Ellie is left out of the adult party because she is too little, but the transition from her view through the mouse hole to what appears to be a dream sequence is far harder to gauge. Also, the story starts at bedtime but ends with mom and dad discovering her snoozing on the floor in front of the mouse hole and then making pie with Ellie. What happened to her sleep or to their party? Another quibble: The pies shown in the kitchen scenes and on the recipe page are two-crust pies, while Waters' recipe is for a never-pictured turnover. The recipe is lengthy and complicated. A muddle. (Picture book. 4-7)

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May 1, 2013

PreS-Gr 1-Little Ellie is sad because she is not allowed to be a part of the grown-up party her parents are hosting. When her tummy starts rumbling and no one will pay attention, the young elephant takes matters into her own hands and discovers a whole other world behind the hole in her kitchen wall. She stumbles upon a cooking show hosted by mice and learns to make Tiny Pie. More importantly, however, she learns that even small hands, noses, mouths, and hearts can make a difference. This beautifully illustrated picture book is delightful. Readers will linger over the vibrant paintings that fill each page to soak in every detail, particularly the spread in which the many mice take over Ellie's kitchen, baking, eating, and having a grand party. The tiny creatures speak in rhyme, a fun feature for emergent readers. The appended recipe for Tiny Apple Pies is the icing on the cake.-Amy Shepherd, St. Anne's Episcopal School, Middleton, DE

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2013
Relegated to her bedroom during a grown-up party, Ellie the elephant is too hungry to sleep. She peeks into a mouse hole in the kitchen and sees an in-progress cooking show. The mouse host's advice helps Ellie feel better about being little. Kids will probably be confused by this strange, sometimes-rhyming text's convoluted message. The illustrations feature oddly proportioned elephants. A tiny pie recipe is appended.

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)