The Big Cheese

by Jory John, Pete Oswald (Illustrator)

Overview

An Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller!

Don’t miss the seventh picture book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Food Group series from Jory John and Pete Oswald!

The Big Cheese is the best at everything, and brags about it, too. When the annual Cheese-cathlon comes around, the Big Cheese is prepared to win, as always. But what happens when the quiet new kid, Wedge Wedgeman, comes out on top? Is a slice of humility all the Big Cheese needs to discover that some things are better than being the best? 

Jory John and Pete Oswald serve up another heaping plate of laughs and lessons with this empowering, witty, and charming addition to their #1 New York Times bestselling series!

Check Out Jory John and Pete Oswald’s other funny bestselling books for kids ages four to eight and anyone who wants a laugh:

• The Bad Seed
• The Good Egg
• The Cool Bean
• The Couch Potato
• The Smart Cookie
• The Sour Grape
• The Good Egg Presents: The Great Eggscape!
• The Bad Seed Presents: The Good, the Bad, and the Spooky!
• The Cool Bean Presents: As Cool as It Gets!
• The Bad Seed Goes to the Library
• The Good Egg and the Talent Show
• That’s What Dinosaurs Do

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063329515
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	11/07/2023
Series:	Food Group Series
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	319,760
File size:	30 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jory John is a New York Times bestselling author and two-time E. B. White Read Aloud Honor recipient. Jory’s work includes the award-winning Goodnight Already! series; the bestselling Terrible Two series; the popular picture books The Bad Seed, Penguin Problems, and Quit Calling Me a Monster!; and the national bestseller All My Friends Are Dead, among other books. He lives in Oregon. You can visit him online at www.joryjohn.com.

Pete Oswald is an LA-based artist, kid lit author/illustrator, and production designer. Pete is the illustrator of the Food Group series by Jory John and the Cranky series by Phuc Tran as well as many other picture books. When Pete is not working on books, he is helping to uplift many of the most successful animated franchises as a character designer, concept artist, and production designer. Pete lives in Los Angeles, California, with his wife and two sons.

Jory John is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and two-time E. B. White Read Aloud Honor recipient. Jory’s work includes the award-winning Goodnight Already! series; the bestselling Food Group series, including The Bad Seed, The Good Egg, and more; the national bestseller All My Friends Are Dead; and many more popular picture books. You can visit him online at www.joryjohn.com.

Editorial Reviews

From curds to riches, from meltdown to uplift—this multicourse romp delivers. — Kirkus Reviews

In their latest installment of “The Food Group” series, the dynamic duo introduces children to the complex emotions of pride and humility in one cheese-tastic package! A must purchase. — School Library Journal (starred review)

This funny, warm picture book reminds little readers of the benefits of taking successes in stride and in listening to others. — Common Sense Media

From the Publisher

★ 11/24/2023

Gr 1–3—In their latest installment of "The Food Group" series, the dynamic duo introduces children to the complex emotions of pride and humility in one cheese-tastic package! Big Cheese is known throughout town for being the "biggest, cheesiest piece of cheddar around," and they make sure everyone knows it. They boast and brag about their accomplishments far and wide, because they've never lost; the secret to success is only competing in what you can win! That is, until the fateful day when Wedge competes in the Cheese-cathalon (in which Big Cheese has placed first for years) and beats Big Cheese by a cheese-nose! As if that wasn't surprising enough, Wedge seems humble about their win. Through talking with Wedge, Big Cheese goes on a transformative journey of examining how losses can lend perspective on what is most important. The clean and colorful illustrations match the signature style of the series. While sometimes a bit heavy handed in its discussion of SEL topics ("losing taught me about empathy and humility"), this entry is artfully arranged. It could be performed as a very discussible story time selection. VERDICT This is a must-purchase for all libraries, especially those with a SEL focus.—Katherine Forsman

School Library Journal

2023-08-26
A winning wheel of cheddar with braggadocio to match narrates a tale of comeuppance and redemption.

From humble beginnings among kitchen curds living “quiet lives of pasteurization,” the Big Cheese longs to be the best and builds success and renown based on proven skills and dependable results: “I stuck to the things I was good at.” When newcomer Wedge moves to the village of Curds-on-Whey, the Cheese’s star status wobbles and falls. Turns out that quiet, modest Wedge is also multitalented. At the annual Cheese-cathlon, Wedge bests six-time winner Cheese in every event, from the footrace and chess to hat making and bread buttering. A disappointed Cheese throws a full-blown tantrum before arriving at a moment of truth: Self-calming, conscious breathing permits deep relief that losing—even badly—does not result in disaster. A debrief with Wedge “that wasn’t all about me” leads to further realizations: Losing builds empathy for others; obsession with winning obscures “the joy of participating.” The chastened cheddar learns to reserve bragging for lifting up friends, because anyone can be the Big Cheese. More didactic and less pun-rich than previous entries in the Food Group series, this outing nevertheless couples a cheerful refrain with pithy life lessons that hit home. Oswald’s detailed, comical illustrations continue to provide laughs, including a spot with Cheese onstage doing a “CHED” talk.

From curds to riches, from meltdown to uplift—this multicourse romp delivers. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews