posted on 24 Jul 2019

Don’t Eat Pete! By Sue Walker, illustrated by Carlo Beranek

Trolls often get a negative role to play in children’s stories so it is refreshing to see a new gloriously illustrated picture book with simple rhyming text that gives a different perspective and puts an everyday troll family centre stage. They even own a pet dog called Pete who first appears on the front cover sitting on a plate and looking rather worried.

Despite being very smiley looking, Uncle Boll Troll seems to be obsessed with eating food – he just cannot have enough. The first double page spread shows the jolly looking blue creature with spikey black hair and a multiply pierced ear slurping spaghetti bolognese with plenty more yummy looking treats waiting on the table. His niece Moll looks on laughing because he is prone to noisy burps as he eats. She likes to indulge his appetite and provides plenty more food for him to demolish when she goes out to work, with just one clear instruction:

‘DON’T EAT PETE’!

The dog in question looks alert and understandably alarmed before Moll leaves the house, but starts to visibly relax as Uncle Boll seems affectionate enough; that is, until he puts him very close to his huge open mouth. The temptation to eat him is great, but he resists by reminding himself loudly that he had been explicitly told:

‘DO NOT EAT PETE’!

I love the way that his huge face glares out at the reader across two pages with his mouth firmly closed and his struggle is signalled by several black clouds appearing across his furrowed brow. Even young children get the symbolism and recognise that he is very determined not to waiver. He goes on to eat a whole tin of biscuits and doesn’t think to share with poor Pete who is licking his chops. He then raids the fridge (luckily Moll has left a reminder note just in case he has forgotten the instruction)! Cross looking Pete watches him prepare grilled bacon which he once again hopes might be shared. No such luck and unfortunately it seems as if Uncle Boll is still very hungry – in fact we see him imagining Pete in the middle of a burger bun and being salted in the frying pan! Will the little dog survive before Moll returns? I’m not going to give away what happens but when she does come back, she is completely unprepared for what is waiting.

This laugh out loud picture book is generously packed with detailed and colourful illustrations throughout. The central characters are very likeable with a range of facial expressions drawn to convey their various dilemmas. There is also lots of delicious looking food to look at and talk about as well as the chance for children to hook onto the refrain because they sort of know that Uncle Boll is going to need plenty of reminders. I predict that this will be a huge hit with young children.

Karen Argent

July 2019