01/16/2023
A refrigerator denizen’s misunderstanding becomes a call to action in this author and illustrator debut, a punny tale of food friends tackling anxiety and climate change. Harold, a head of iceberg lettuce known for his worrywart ways, comes unglued when he watches a documentary about the world’s quickly melting icebergs, the image of which matches a crumpled produce sticker on his behind: “I am an iceberg. See?” A different kind of meltdown ensues as Harold rattles off factoids while becoming increasingly distressed: “Did you know the icebergs are MELTING? At an ALARMING RATE?!” Supportive foodstuffs try to help, but nothing works until a bok choy buddy offers reassurance, clarifying Harold’s reality. Newly recharged and still concerned, Harold recruits his fellow fridge pals in crafting a plan to save “MY COUSINS!”—the other icebergs in crisis. With humor and a light touch, Wyzlic balances brief expository passages with emotional dialogue. Syracuse’s digitally rendered anthropomorphic foods feature noodly stick limbs, expressive eyes, and enjoyable edible details, among them a chair made of bread and olives, a butter-stick TV stand, and a hot-sauce mustache. Back matter offers tips for combating climate change. Ages 3–6. Author’s agent: Natascha Morris, Tobias Literary. (Mar.)
Praise for Harold the Iceberg Melts Down:
"The perfect picture book for anxious kids. ... The anxiety my daughter experiences isn’t debilitating—after some time of spiraling, we can get her back to feeling safe—but it is exhausting, and it’s often hard to parent when you’re constantly worried about your kid’s worries. And this beautiful picture book, featuring whimsical illustrations of Harold, a head of iceberg lettuce, and all his pals in the refrigerator really seems to get just how exhausting those spirals are—for the ones who are spiraling and for the ones who love them." —Romper
"A punny tale of food friends tackling anxiety and climate change ... With humor and a light touch, Wyzlic balances brief expository passages with emotional dialogue. Syracuse’s digitally rendered anthropomorphic foods feature noodly stick limbs, expressive eyes, and enjoyable edible details, among them a chair made of bread and olives, a butter-stick TV stand, and a hot-sauce mustache." —Publishers Weekly
"Wyzlic tackles eco-anxiety at a kid-friendly level, and cartoony Harold and his fridge friends soften the reality of a crisis that even younger readers are beginning to realize as dire. Despite Harold’s misread on his own danger in the iceberg situation, the book doesn’t mock or downplay his anxiety, but it does emphasize that worrying to the state of paralysis isn’t going to do anyone any good: 'Harold was so focused on his impending doom that they couldn’t get through to him.' ... There’s very much a 'keep calm and carry on' message here that, when paired with the real actionable items provided at the end of the book, gives some amount of agency to the generation that will be most impacted by the changing climate." —The Bulletin
"The stratagems for handling stress are useful, and the colorful, cartoonish digital illustrations are energetic and expressive. ... Fun, with worthwhile points raised. It may even get some kids to try lettuce." —Kirkus Reviews
"The characters, googly-eyed vegetables with loads of digitally acquired personality, are charming, more than charitable, and children will love the adventure." —School Library Journal
01/01/2023
Gr 1–2—Calm down, climate change collections, this one's not for you. Harold is iceberg lettuce, but his label is illegible, and when he watches a documentary about icebergs melting, his natural state of worry goes into overdrive. He thinks it's about him. The other vegetables, his friends and allies, attempt to help, but honestly, Harold is something of a scene-stealer and decides that if all the other icebergs are gigantic and he is small, he must be in super peril. He heads for the freezer, but it is blocked. The back of the fridge is too sticky, and disguising himself so "warmth" won't find him doesn't work either. Blowing bubbles calms him down. Finally, the bok choy gets through to Harold, now in the middle of a full-blown panic attack, and reminds him that he is lettuce, which does not melt. The characters, googly-eyed vegetables with loads of digitally acquired personality, are charming, more than charitable, and children will love the adventure though maybe not the chaos. VERDICT With a list in the back for combatting climate change and another for calming down in case of anxiety, this is a well-intentioned debut, but likely an additional purchase.—Kimberly Olson Fakih
2022-12-14
Lettuce talk about meltdowns.
Harold, a head of iceberg lettuce, is a worrywart. He’s learned from a documentary that icebergs are melting. (Harold doesn’t understand what he really is: His sticker with the words iceberg lettuce has partially peeled off; he sees only iceberg.) Harold voices his concerns to his sympathetic fridge mates, who suggest ways to cope with his anxiety, but not before he’s tried escaping his dire future. Finally, a head of bok choy tells Harold what he really is and that lettuces don’t melt; a tomato concedes, however, that real icebergs do. This leads Harold to galvanize his friends into save-the-planet mode. While lively, this story perhaps tries to accomplish too much by attempting to dovetail the reality of one kind of meltdown—that occurring to icebergs because of global warming—into another (that facing children in the form of overwhelming emotions) in a less-than-seamless manner. Additionally, though the narrative includes solutions to both problems, adults will have some explaining to do. Many kids won’t know what a documentary is and may also miss the tale’s whole humorous punning point if they’re unfamiliar with the term iceberg lettuce; many may also be unaware of the melting-iceberg crisis. The stratagems for handling stress are useful, though, and the colorful, cartoonish digital illustrations are energetic and expressive. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Some fun, with worthwhile points raised. It may even get some kids to try lettuce. (Harold’s tips to combat climate change; Harold’s tips for cooling down) (Picture book. 4-7)
