The Humble Pie

K-Gr 3–From the creators of The Bad Seed comes the eighth book in the popular “The Food Group” series. The protagonist is Humble Pie, who never seeks recognition and is content to stay in the shadows while friend Jake, a cake, enjoys the spotlight. But even Humble Pie is susceptible to the familiar stress of working on a group project in school. Humble Pie is handling most of the work alone, without expecting to receive the credit. Pushing through the discomfort of confronting overscheduled project collaborator Jake, Humble Pie speaks up and asks Jake to contribute more. Humble Pie learns that “there’s nothing wrong with having a tough conversation, asking for help, or making sure you’re being treated fairly.” The cast of anthropomorphic baked goods is rendered in watercolor-textured digital illustrations that will be familiar to fans of the series. The narrative arc will also be familiar, though there is less humor than other installments and a perhaps more heavy-handed social-emotional lesson. Oswald’s expressive illustrations and pie-themed puns add a touch of whimsy.