There is a new Jory John and Pete Oswald book coming out in early November 2023. And it is a big deal. In fact, you could say it is a big wheel called The Big Cheese. Starting back in 2017 withThe Bad Seed, the themes of the Food Group books are lessons for everyone about personalities, emotions, social themes, and more. When we meet Cheese they are a big deal. They tell us they started life normal enough, but had big plans. And they achieved them. And those dreams and plans were to be the best at everything. Of course, there is a sour patch for him when the new kid in town shows up. And while, at first, Cheese ignores them, soon Cheese realizes that maybe others can be the best, too. And though you are angry or frustrated about not winning, you can be happy for the person (or cheese) that won. And then there is the fact that it is healthy to lose once in a while.
This book probably is my favorite in the series for two reasons. First, it is funny. And while the puns are punny and even maybe a tad crumbly, they are also giggle worthy. They are not too forced like some of the other picture books have been. I was actually not going to read The Big Cheese because I honestly felt that John and Oswald had gone to the food shelf one too many times. But they redeemed themselves for me. The second reason is the message itself. If there is one message people, and I do not mean just kids, need to hear is Losing is okay. And in fact actually healthy. Let me say that again, louder, IT IS HEALTHY TO LOSE. The second part of the message is bragging can also be okay, as long as it is bragging about your friends. Okay, that is a little less strong for me, as there is nothing wrong with tooting your own horn once in a while, but of course, there is a good way and a bad way to do that.
And of course, you cannot talk about a picture book without mentioning the illustrations. The first and foremost thing is, the artwork is pure Oswald. While this book is unique in the colors, details and forming, it is completely in Pete Oswald’s signature style. They can be a bit cartoon-like, even cartoonish, but that is not a negative. The fact we are talking about cheese and winning/losing makes this lighter tone the way to go as it takes us out of ourselves and allows us to see the “big picture.” Also, they are just fun to read. Yes, read the illustrations, even if they are a bit on the minimalist side, they are both supporter of the story and their own character (and the one thing the Food Group books have are characters).