Fabulous Pie

This partnership of author/illustrator has surely created a future favourite! Fans of their Never Ask a Dinosaur to Dinner will delight in their new collaboration, where the bouncy rhyme, wickedness of the main character and the vibrantly coloured pictures form and frame a  story which will delight young readers. The front cover glows, with text and characters and autumn leaves appearing with sparkling  shininess. Our attention is immediately grabbed by the opening lines, Deep in the forest where the trees meet the sky, a very bad bear baked a very big pie. Hidden behind trees and in the river are more characters, all of them waiting to be invited later to join in eating the delicious pie. But bad bear has a wicked plan. He asks each creature in turn to help him make the filling, which they willingly do, mouse bringing  blackberries and squirrel cracking hazelnuts, but Bad Bear is not yet satisfied. “Fabulous pie!” he calls down badger’s hole, who happily produces a comb of honey. Otter and daughter are lured from the water, providing a fine, fresh salmon from the river. Each scene is drawn with such attention to detail, echoing the story and adding a subtext. How on earth will the small creatures escape, once Bad Bear has  trapped them all in his fabulous pie? Bad Bear brings about his own downfall, ending up in the river, floating downstream, wet and cross, contemplating his selfish tricks. Meanwhile, the illustrations show how each creature enjoys his slice of the fab pie, each drawn in size-appropriate portions. This is a book to savour; a rhyming text to enjoy and share, and pictures to devour and search.