I loved this book! The author provides not only a tasty poem all about the world of pickles and pickling, but pickle facts, and how-to info on doing it yourself. There's a lot packed into a few pages.

Jialei Sun's bold, colorful artwork really wowed me - just seeing all those pretty colors layered in a jar made me want to head to the kitchen and cut up vegetables.

And, I had no idea you could pickle mangos and lemons!

I LOVE pickles, so I was very excited to get my hands on an eARC of Pickle Words. This was such a fun, brightly colored, factual book about pickling all over the world. I enjoyed seeing different races and ethnicities to better understand the diversity and unique ways of pickling different foods. I'm definitely eager to try the Quick Dill Pickles recipes in the back of the book!

Would recommend for a kid (or adult) who loves to learn, loves pickles, or both!

Thank you NetGalley, Charlesbridge, and April Pulley Sayre for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book. These opinions are completely my own.

I am 40 years old and I had no idea how to pickle. It seems like such a fun family activity. I also love the inclusivity of the illustrations and flavours. I am now going to make my friend kimchi.

Book Review: Pickle Words: Crunchy, Punchy Pickles and Poetry by April Pulley Sayre and Jialei Sun (Illustrator)

Rating: 4 Star

As a self-proclaimed foodie and lover of all things pickled, I couldn't resist diving into "Pickle Words: Crunchy, Punchy Pickles and Poetry" by April Pulley Sayre and Jialei Sun. Let me tell you, this quirky and colorful picture book is a true feast for the eyes and the imagination.

The book opens up a world of vibrant pickles beyond the usual green cucumbers. From yellow peppers to pink cabbages and purple plums, the illustrations by Jialei Sun bring a riotous rainbow of pickles to life. But it's not just about the visuals; Sayre's punchy poetry dances off the pages, celebrating the diversity of pickled foods and the words we use to describe them.

What truly sets this book apart is its celebration of community and diversity. Through the stories of characters drawn together by their love of pickles, the book showcases a global tour of pickled delights, from kosher dills to tangy kimchi. The inclusivity in representation, both in terms of people and dishes, is heartwarming and refreshing.

One of the highlights of "Pickle Words" for me was the inclusion of a recipe for refrigerator pickles and a visual glossary of pickles from around the world in the back matter. It's not just a book to read; it's an invitation to roll up your sleeves, get hands-on, and explore the world of pickling right in your own kitchen.

Overall, "Pickle Words" is a delightful and educational read that manages to blend poetry, art, and culinary exploration seamlessly. It's a charming reminder of the joys of trying new things, preserving traditions, and coming together over shared passions. Whether you're a pickle aficionado, a budding chef, or simply someone who appreciates a good story, this book is sure to tickle your pickle-loving fancy.

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️

What a cute little book about pickles and pickle lovers! The illustrations are colourful, detailed and fun. I especially liked the description and illustrations of pickles near the end of the book, it could be fun for kids to point out the types of pickles they've tried or are familiar with. The rhyming throughout the book was super cute, but I wish the story had more of a storyline arc not just told through the photos.

Our streak of amazing books continues!
And this stands out.
This is the first time we have read a children’s book solely on pickling, and we were in absolute luck that our first time read was great!
The pictures are vibrant, appetising and cute.
The prose is something I would like to see in more books: rhyming verses, witty and informative, and then the informative prose.
I don’t think pickling/pickles could be any more engagingly and lovelier than this.

Kept my older two giggling the entire way through and had me read it 3x over because it was the best story they ever read! I love a quick good read that all kids can appreciate! My 1 year may not comprehend yet but soon enough he will, and can't wait to read this with him and hear his giggles with it too.

Thanks to Netgalley and Charlesbridge for the ARC of this!

This was a fun look at the different kinds of pickling and what types of foods get pickled for younger kids. My (almost) 8 year old enjoyed it a lot.

My son has been wanting to make pickles so this book came at the perfect time. I love how Pickle Words shows pickling processes from all over and not just for cucumbers. This is a great way to introduce new cultures and cooking. It's a great mix of fiction and nonfiction.

Explore the world of pickles in this fun picture book full of "delicious words" that will leave you craving more. The book includes various pickled items from various cultures, such as kimchi, chow chow, daikon radish, and more.I enjoyed reading about the pickling process and seeing the diverse characters. Backmatter includes more details about pickles and even shares a yummy puckle recipe to try!

Our library hosts a story time and craft table at the local farmer's market and this book is sure to be a hit! The bold texted rhyme is bouncy and easy to project over a crowd, while the smaller text footnotes and comments provide a more in depth read for a lap sitting child or waiting caregiver. The illustrations are bright and engaging, the characters are diverse in a number of ways, and the fact that many of the younger characters in the book are engaged in craft activities (like writing their own pickle poems) and the back matter provides a "pickle how-to" that could be enjoyed either at the market or in a child's home adds extra value to this little book. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to explore this delightful arc!

I really liked this book! There was so much good stuff packed into the story.
Number one: Highly diverse! I loved how the authors took the time and effort to include pickled foods/dishes from all over the world. It makes for a well-rounded story and promotes well-rounded thinking.
Number two: Interactive! There are recipes and lots of good pickling information at the end of the book so that kids can get involved by making their own pickles. I love when books do this, especially for kids! This will definitely allow kids to explore cooking and new foods.
Number three: Educational! There are adjectives that relate to pickles on every single page, and this will definitely expand kids' vocabularies. There are also fun facts about pickling scattered throughout the book, and I even learned some new things. As a bonus, these fun facts were consistently relevant, to both pickled foods and the act of pickling.
This entire book was great, with detailed and vibrant illustrations and interesting yet different information woven into a core idea.
Bravo!

This book is fabulous- so many vibrant pages filled with families of all kinds creating pickle magic in the kitchen. Words of poetry around crunchy cucumbers. This fun children’s book was creative, and informative. There were several types of cucumbers and pickling methods I’ve never heard of. I love the combined, educational tid bits, with the poetry from page to page.

The best is the end that encourages “hungry readers” to try several other food educational books.

Hope this author has more coming!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Charlesbridge for access to my ARC copy of this book.

Pickles are kind of amazing: just put vegetables in jars with vinegar or brine, and after some time has passed, wow, a whole new flavor. This fun book combines a love of pickles with a love of words and adds a ton of fun facts to sweeten the deal (even though pickles are sour). The rhythm of the poetry has a few awkward moments, but it's still a lot of fun to read and explore, and the artwork is zesty throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley, Charlesbridge, and April Pulley Sayre for the early access copy of Pickle Words.

Pickle Words is a delightful story of pickling and the variety of types of pickles that exist. This is an inclusive story that shows different types of pickles from around the world. It includes a rhyming story, fact-based descriptions on what is taking place on the page, and beautiful and diverse imagery. At the end of the book there is a bonus of a pickling recipe and information on different kinds of pickling. This will be a great read aloud and tool. for schools and libraries to show rhyming stories, types of vegetables, different foods from around the world, and pickles!

It is an adorable poem about pickling with stunning illustrations and captions that will teach children how to pickle.

The only real question about this book is whether to add it to my outdated poetry section or my meager cooking section!

Thank you to Net Galley and Charlesbridge for the eARC!

Nice book, fun rhyming words, great span of international cultures. Not just "American" cucumber and vinegar pickles but different vegetables and how they are pickled in different countries.

I enjoyed how the book had a fun rhyming side as well as an educational aspect as well. The pictures were so vivid and colorful, it would attract a child's attention. I feel like I learnt something myself.

Kids love poetry books and food is a great topic for them. This has a poem for everything pickle related and is fun, colorful, and engaging. I know I’ll be gifting it to one of my pickle loving teacher besties.

When I picked this up, I have to admit that I was expecting it to focus 100% on pickles rather than pickling as a whole. So, there was a bit of disappointment as we started to move away from cucumbers to other types of pickled products. At the same time, I guess it's a lot to focus on only one item for the span of a whole book, even if it's a picture book. The illustration was nicely done, and I liked the way that there was information interspersed with the "story" - we got little facts with the rhymes. The idea of also collecting the random words that show up on each page and using them to build a poem or story afterwards is neat too.. All in all a cute read for teaching children about pickled foods, and there was one recipe included.

I dropped it from a 4 star because I wanted it to be just a little stronger and to tie things together more. I expect that it will be a good read for a child who likes one of the types of pickled items covered in the book, or as a way to teach about different foods.