Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie

by Julie Sternberg

        Eleanor is sad. Her parents have some difficult news to share with her. She thinks it might be as bad as when her mom lost her hamster, but it is worse. It’s “as bad as pickle juice on a cookie.” Eleanor’s babysitter Bibi is moving away. Bibi has been Eleanor’s first and only babysitter, and she can’t imagine what she will do without her. At first, Eleanor’s mom spends some time at home with her, but she has to go back to work eventually, and Eleanor has to get a new babysitter. To top that off, she is nervous about starting third grade. Eleanor soon discovers that her new babysitter, Natalie, is not so bad. She isn’t Bibi, but she likes to play board games and do fun things with Eleanor. When school starts back up, and Eleanor’s best friend Pearl comes back from vacation, she finds out that third grade might just be fun. Natalie is a pretty cool second babysitter, and best of all, Eleanor just got a letter from Bibi.

          This is a cute and sensitive book about a time of loss in a young girl’s life. Julie Sternberg handles it with just the right light touch. Any child who has had a friend or adult friend in their life who moved away will relate to it. The realistic fiction story is written in verse, with short words and lines as an eight year old might write. It is illustrated with black and white drawings which perfectly capture the mood of the text. This is an ideal beginning chapter book for young readers. Julie Sternberg has also written Like Bug Juice on a Burger.

Book jacket source: amazon.com.

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