Pete & Pickles [Hardcover]

Berkeley Breathed (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Pete is a perfectly predictable, practical, uncomplicated pig. At least, he was . . . before a runaway circus elephant named Pickles stampeded into his life, needing a friend. Pickles is larger than life and overflowing with imagination. She takes Pete swandiving off Niagara Falls. (Sort of.) And sledding down the Matterhorn. (Sort of.) Pete goes along for the wild ride and actually begins to enjoy himself . . . until Pickles goes too far. And Pete tells her she must leave.

Yet sometimes the simple life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Pulitzer Prize–winning cartoonist Berkeley Breathed offers two new irresistible characters and a heartfelt, hilarious look at the rarity of true friendship.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2–4—Pete is a predictable and practical pig. One stormy night, his world is turned upside down when he encounters Pickles, an elephant on the lam from the circus, in his room. Pickles is anything but predictable, yet Pete finds himself drawn to her, and the two become unlikely friends. The relationship hits a snag when Pickles treads too far, and Pete makes a decision that ends up endangering both of their lives. This heartwarming tale is packed with adventure, imagination, and the all-important message of accepting differences. The illustrations alternate from naturalistic renderings of fantastical scenarios to flat compositions reminiscent of traditional comic strips. In the former, Pete and Pickles seem to pop off the page in the lush landscapes, and it is in these pages that the story soars. Less-discerning readers may miss plot points expressed in the drawings but not in the text. Great for sharing one-on-one or for reading aloud.—Beth Cuddy, Seward Elementary School, Auburn, NY
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Review

Breathed achieves a dreamy intensity, a sculptural heft that make these images his most evocative and expansive to date. --Publishers Weekly, starred review

Both adventures and illustrations flirt with the surreal...a comically silly, warmly affirmative package. --Kirkus Reviews

This heartwarming tale is packed with adventure, imagination, and the all-important message of accepting differences. --School Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Philomel (October 16, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399250824
• ISBN-13: 978-0399250828
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 10.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #215,351 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #88 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Elephants

More About the Author

Berkeley Breathed lives and works in Santa Barbara, California and is the proud owner of a gentle pit bull named Ridley, a deaf dachshund named Milly, and a refugee mutt from the Puerto Rican streets named Pilar--splendidly flawed dogs, every one.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enter the World of Berkeley Breathed, October 24, 2008

By 

S. Files (Minot, ND USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pete & Pickles (Hardcover)

As a fan of Breathed's work since the beginning of the Bloom County comic strip, I found humor, comfort, joy, and hope in his writing and illustration. Breathed's humor is founded in the best of our natures, not the worst of it, and you find ample evidence for it in the many cartoon universes he created to reflect it. "Pete and Pickles" is another such world. I am not sure how Berkeley Breathed manages such complex ideas with such grace and simplicity, but I am glad he does. Buy this book for you, and then share it with your favorite child. You will not regret buying this well-written, expertly crafted and illustrated, book. I read a copy yesterday, and it is in my shopping cart now. I pause only to write this review. Buy this book.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Is there a Pulitzer Prize for children's books?, November 1, 2008

By 

Robert C. Ross (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pete & Pickles (Hardcover)

Berkeley Breathed's "Bloom County" won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning in 1987, and was immensely popular around the world -- and frankly in my little world. He killed it in 1989: "A good comic strip is no more eternal than a ripe melon. The ugly truth is that in most cases, comics age less gracefully than their creators."

Pete & Pickles is a wonderful creation which I am sure will age much better than any of us mere mortals. Amazon has provided an excellent sampling of the joys of this book.

We used Breathed's Flawed Dogs: The Year End Leftovers at the Piddleton "Last Chance" Dog Pound to raise money for a local animal shelter a few years ago. Breathed has an incredible ability to capture people's imagination. This book will appeal to young and old alike.

Robert C. Ross 2008

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Berkeley Breathed delights yet again, October 30, 2008

By 

K. Strommen "kiwibeandip" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pete & Pickles (Hardcover)

I buy Breathed's children's books for myself and *consent* to share them with my 6yr. old niece. They are by far my very favorite children's books, and you can imagine my delight when i saw Pete & Pickles was released. It is exquisitely written and illustrated. It is whimsical and heartwrenching (all while it makes you laugh out loud). Everyone i show it to (and then quickly snatch back from their covetous grasp) loves this book and you will to.