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Pete Oswald Books

the humble pie

The Humble Pie

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Picturebook

Serve up the eighth picture book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Food Group series from Jory John and Pete Oswald!

The Humble Pie likes to give others the spotlight. Aw, shucks!—they deserve it!

But when he’s paired with his best friend, Jake the Cake, for a school project, he soon realizes that staying in the shadows isn’t always as sweet as pie. Readers of all ages will laugh along as their new pie pal discovers that letting your voice be heard always takes the cake!

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!

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the big cheese presents have yourself a cheesy little christmas

The Big Cheese Presents: Have Yourself a Cheesy Little Christmas

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Picturebook

From the #1 New York Times bestselling creators of the Food Group series comes a Christmas picture book featuring the ever-popular character the Big Cheese. Perfect for holiday promotions, this book includes a tear sheet of twelve holiday cards and festive foil on the cover.

Every December, the Big Cheese hosts a gigantic jamboree with flashy decorations, sparkling outfits, extravagant gifts, ear-bursting music, and jaw-dropping entertainment. It’s the #1 party in town and it can’t be beat!

But this holiday season, mere hours before the festivities, disaster strikes! With no backup plan in place, the Big Cheese must call in a big favor to help save the big day. But will Christmas still be Christmas if it’s not quite so grand?

You don’t want to miss this hilarious, charming, and thought-provoking continuation of Jory John and Pete Oswald’s bestselling Food Group series.

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the big cheese

The Big Cheese

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Picturebook
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Jory John and Pete Oswald’s The Big Cheese is a brilliant addition to the fantastic Food Group series, which includes The Couch Potato and The Smart Cookie. This witty fable introduces a high-performing cheese, who learns a big lesson about competitiveness and winning when a new rival appears.

Many young children struggle with keeping winning or losing in perspective, and this story provides a good way to discuss sportsmanship and the benefits of sport without focusing purely on winning.

Jory John’s witty narrative and Pete Oswald’s expressive illustrations perfectly capture the Big Cheese’s journey from pride to newfound empathy with brilliant humour and appeal. It’s a superb, cheese-pun-filled tale that subtly shows how losing is not always negative, and that celebrating others’ successes can be just as rewarding.

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the sour grape

The Sour Grape

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Picturebook

The Sour Grape just can’t help but hold a grudge, a whole bunch of them in fact (geddit? Be ready for plenty of fruit-based puns). He used to be a sweet little thing, but so many things have gone wrong recently, including NOBODY coming to his birthday party, that now he’s determined to remember every upset and hold on to every insult, even if that does mean his face has become all wrinkled from frowning and he only has one friend left.

But never fear, as you may have guessed, this book has a message, and when Sour Grape makes his own mistakes and finds out that nobody is perfect, he starts to see how holding a grudge is holding him back, and that maybe there is another path to follow.

By the conclusion, Sour Grape has learned that if you can be kind, forgiving and grapeful, life can indeed be pretty sweet. With lots of colourful illustrations full of animate fruit of all shapes and sizes, and an easy-to-follow storyline, ‘The Sour Grape’ will be a hit with KS1 children.

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The Couch Potato

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Picturebook
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If you’ve ever made a New Year’s resolution to improve your fitness or get outside more, you might just relate to the journey of this hilarious spud.

With everything he needs within arm’s reach of the sofa, this potato has it all – multiple TV screens, hundreds of video games and even a button that activates a snack-fetching gadget. He can’t see any reason at all to leave the couch… until the electricity cuts out. The potato steps foot outside and embarks upon a new-found appreciation of fresh air, exercise and the sounds and sights of the great outdoors. After some deep introspection, the potato sets himself a resolution to achieve a better balance between screentime and time enjoying the outdoor world.

This is a really funny book and is always a winner with children. As well as guaranteeing giggles, this story can provide an opportunity to reflect on healthy lifestyles, screentime limits and personal resolutions.

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The Smart Cookie

The Smart Cookie

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Picturebook
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If you’ve ever felt like academic success is hard to reach, this sweet picture book about different types of intelligence will resonate with you.

The central character, Cookie, grapples with traditionally academic challenges within the classroom of Ms. Biscotti. However, a transformative moment occurs when an assignment requires a bit more creative originality, leading Cookie to uncover her hidden poetic talent. As her peers also showcase their distinct abilities, ranging from artistic endeavors to inventive creations, Cookie gains a profound understanding of the different types  of intelligence. Through sharing her poem, her self-assurance grows, igniting a belief in her potential to become the “Smart Cookie” she aspires to be.

This is a really funny book and is always a winner with children (we also love the other books in the series – check out The Couch Potato, The Good Egg and The Cool Bean). Enhanced by the vivid illustrations of Pete Oswald, the narrative seamlessly weaves clever wordplay with a universal message of self worth and being willing to grow. The story underscores the significance of valuing different kinds of strengths and fostering self-worth in a classroom, and provides an opportunity for adults and children to reflect on the classroom culture they want to create.

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Stone Girl Bone Girl

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Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?

Would you recommend the book for use in primary schools?

yes

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