Lori Ries

This offbeat ode to pickle-making madness is also a sprightly brief on the down-to-earth rewards of planting your own garden and enjoying the fruits — and vegetables — of your labor.
-Parenting Magazine


Honors/Awards

Parenting Magazine Best Books November 2006 Parenting Picks


Reviews


Kirkus Reviews

Ries follows a pickle grower step-by-step from buying the seed to eating the pickles she loves. A simple 16-line poem comprises the entire text, and every other line reads exactly the same-"Mrs. Fickle likes her pickles"-a device sure to spark audience response. Cote's bright illustrations, done in gouache, carry much of the narrative, which begins with Mrs. Fickle buying seeds at a quaint garden shop. With a perpetual smile on her face, she plants and nurtures her nascent pickles, watched by two eager dogs and a bluebird that often perches atop her hat. She measures the height of the plants in her plethora of pots, and transfers them into neat rows in her back yard. Then she packs them in jars, and drives them to the county fair (in a pickle green convertible, naturally). Her pickles win a blue ribbon and she comes home to where she loves them best: "sitting on her tongue."
The simplicity of this breezy rural story will invite repeat readings and a slurp or two of anticipation. (Picture book. 2-6)

The illustrations are captivating. The story line captures a part of American culture that is rapidly dying. The rhymes are soothing and allow the reader to anticipate what comes next. It is truly a fun book for adults and kids- lots of visual stimuli to capture the listener. I loved it.
-Hartland Public Library

Mrs. Fickle likes her pickles! It’s a chorus sure to be repeated in this high energy read aloud that follows Mrs. Fickle’s pickles from seed to pot to garden to jar to county fair (in her pickle green convertible, naturally!) You’ll lick your lips with anticipation- will Mrs. Fickle’s Pickles win the blue ribbon? A crunchy new favorite for ages 4-8.
-The Public Library of Cincinnati

Single sentence rhythmic pattern follow Mrs. Fickle's quest in cultivating her pickles for the county fair. From seed to canning readers follow the sequence of events as each action is decribed in prose. The vivid illustrations reinforce this sixteen sentence poem of Mrs, Fickle's much-loved pickles. The book is perfect for read alouds and to illustrate the germination process of a pickle seed. It is ideal for its intended audience.
-Hornedo Middle

This is a very cute book for the very young. The words are easy and rhyming, and actually the illustrations tell more of the story. They give more details that a parent or teacher could then stop and and share with the listenrs. Such details include gardening information, etc. Children will notice and like Mrs. Fickle's pet dogs and bird, too.
-D. Pope, MST