• Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2023 May #1
  A pie that plops, a mood that drops, and a friendship that never stops are the main ingredients of John's latest zany adventure. In this follow-up to 2021's Something's Wrong, friends Hare and Bear decide to have a picnic. Hare makes a pie and then takes a walk in the woods as it cools on the windowsill. A heavy rain ensues, and the pie becomes a sodden mess. Hare tries to rescue the picnic with what he can find in the pantry: a can of baked beans, a sprouting potato, a shoelace, a pencil, some yarn, a salt shaker. Ebullient, garrulous Bear shows up, but the thoroughly miserable Hare takes off, refusing to talk. Bear persists, finally getting Hare to open up and, in a hilarious four-page sequence juxtaposing Bear's and Hare's reactions, reveal his sad picnic items. The illustrations, done with woodcut and linocut prints plus colored pencils, create a wonderfully textured, vivid world. A great resolution involves a picnic, many forest animals, and a resounding message about the power of always being there for your friends. Preschool-Grade 1. Copyright 2023 Booklist Reviews.

Jory John is a #1 New York Times–bestselling author of books for both children and adults. His previous collaboration with Erin Kraan was the popular picture book, Something’s Wrong! His work also includes the New York Times–bestselling picture books The Good Egg and The Bad Seed; the award-winning Goodnight Already! series; the popular picture books This Book Will Get You to Sleep!, Penguin Problems, and Giraffe Problems. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

Erin Kraan is the illustrator of numerous children’s books, including I Am Picky by Kristen Tracy and Something’s Wrong! by Jory John. She is also a woodcutter and printmaker. You can often find her doodling while drinking coffee and wearing cozy socks that are usually inside out or backwards. She lives in Vancouver, BC.