I Am Picky: Confessions of a Fussy Eater

by Kristen Tracy, Erin Kraan (Illustrator)

Overview

A young raccoon who claims to be a picky eater tries to fill his ferocious appetite as he makes his way through trash cans and compost bins.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780374389543
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	10/18/2022
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	1,059,868
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD400L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Kristen Tracy is a former teacher, poet, and author of numerous books for children, among them A Cub Story, A Kit Story, and Project (Un)Popular. She is also the winner of the Emily Dickinson First Book Award from the Poetry Foundation. She lives in Los Angeles with her family.

Erin Kraan is the illustrator of Something's Wrong! by Jory John, Hurry Little Tortoise! by Carrie Finison, and Nerdycorn by Andrew Root. She creates her illustrations using woodcut prints and digital collage. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Editorial Reviews

2022-08-17
Are raccoons picky eaters?

Readers may not assume so, but this friendly raccoon narrator claims to have always been a fussy eater, just like Mom and Dad. Readers follow along as the raccoon, with their parents, raids a dumpster for years-old moldy green milk and eats fish from the pond scum, beetles from the bottom of the compost, and wormy apples that fall from the tree but draws the line at freshly washed jeans and snails. The narrator is a connoisseur of bright flower and crunchy bee combos (“magnifique!”) and seasonal treats like jack-o’-lanterns (“chef’s kiss!”), but their favorite dish—dog food (“delicioso!”)—requires the sneakiest moves, like distracting the canine with a game of fetch and a daring escape across a fence. Near dawn, the raccoon family returns home with bulging bellies. Remembering their manners, the young raccoon shares some of the night’s bounty with readers. Only very un-picky readers will happily indulge in the offered meal of fish head, moldy pizza, wormy cat food, and crunchy beetles. Woodcut prints and digital collages depict the raccoon with black-rimmed eyes and an expressive face; close-ups of the little creature help build a relationship between readers and the narrator. Colorful background details reinforce facts about the raccoon’s habitats and diet, which won’t seem very picky to most. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Readers will giggle, groan, and learn about raccoons as they reconsider what it means to be a finicky eater. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews

"Are raccoons picky eaters? Readers may not assume so, but this friendly raccoon narrator claims to have always been a fussy eater, just like Mom and Dad...Readers will giggle, groan, and learn about raccoons as they reconsider what it means to be a finicky eater." —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher