VANILLA BEAN

Bean’s beloved double scoop of vanilla ice cream is accidentally splattered with rainbow sprinkles, accentuating the dilemma of his picky-eater attitude.

This blue dog is a very persnickety pup, averse to even the most kid-friendly choices like grilled cheese, spaghetti, and strawberries. The only food he likes and will eat is vanilla ice cream in either a cone or cup, plain, with nothing on it, ever. No other flavors will do, not even with the enticement of some of the original flavors at Miss Sundae’s shop, like birthday cake or dark chocolate sea salt. One day, as usual, Bean gets his two scoops of vanilla, but when Miss Sundae (a polar bear) begins to clean up, she slips and spills a tub of sprinkles, which go flying everywhere. At first upset, Bean lets hunger win out as his two scoops are the last of the vanilla. He hesitates, takes a lick, then finds out to his surprise: “I like it” with sprinkles. Seeing her advantage, Miss Sundae cajoles him into being more amenable to next time trying a strawberry on top. “Maaaaayyyybeeee.” Cartoon art against a kaleidoscopic backdrop of cool pastels in pink, lavender, blue, and yellow enhances the simplicity of the story’s theme of sensitive palates and trying new tastes in small, incremental steps. With Bean’s exaggerated restriction, Turner adds a note of humor that should give kids like Bean needed perspective. (This book was reviewed digitally with 8-by-14-inch double-page spreads viewed at 89.2% of actual size.)

Will resonate with finicky kids and their very particular taste buds.