THE WISE PICKLE

What’s a pickle on the side of the road to do?

A dark green pickle with two wide eyes arrives outside a dry cleaners, thrown away after being “served beside a hot dog to a person…who hated pickles.” As the pickle ruminates on its life, a rat is startled to hear it talking. Other animals gather, equally fascinated by the briny vegetable. Sensing the pickle is special, they take care of it, asking it a series of questions that start out simple (“Are you hungry?”) yet become more existential along the way (“Why are we here?”), eliciting matter-of-fact responses (“I’m here to feed others, not to eat,” “Purposes can change”). As the animals prepare to send the pickle off in its preferred way (“Gobbled up by a dog”), fate steps in, and the pickle embarks on another adventure. This delightfully deadpan musing on life urges compassion for others. Howden’s straightforward text is on the philosophical side, though also rooted in the absurd. Hahn’s spare black graphite pencil watercolor, mostly set against a white background, are imbued with humor and empathy for the pickle, with the foodstuff’s expressive eyes conveying many emotions at once. While adults are likely the target audience for some of the deeper, more probing questions, younger readers will nevertheless feel moved by the pickle and curious about its journey.

A thoughtful look at life, in all its beauty and strangeness.