Are You a Cheeseburger?

by Monica Arnaldo

Laugh-out-loud humor and a tender friendship blossom in author-illustrator Monica Arnaldo’s charming US picture book debut about a lonely raccoon, a curious seed, and the world’s most important question: Can the seed grow cheeseburgers?

Grub is a lonely racoon. Rumbling in the trash. Looking for food.

Seed is, well, a seed! Patiently waiting in the trash. Hoping someone will plant it.

When the two finally meet, they realize they might be able to help each other! Grub has just one big question first: What will Seed grow? Could Seed grow Grub’s favorite food, mouthwatering cheeseburgers? Seed isn’t sure what a cheeseburger is exactly, but . . . maybe!

And so begins a hilarious friendship following two unlikely strangers learning more about the other and discovering the pressure that comes with fulfilling expectations. Author-illustrator Monica Arnaldo will leave readers giggling and clamoring for more in this charming story that celebrates the unexpected—and how the most special friendships bloom only when we are unapologetically ourselves.

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Animals, Childrens, Humor, Food, Plants

40 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2021

About the author

Monica Arnaldo grew up in Ottawa, Ontario, where she was sometimes allowed inside her older brother's forts. Drawn to illustration by her passion for children's books, she combines a variety of media to create images full of character. She and her husband live in Montreal, Quebec, with their daughter, Beatrice.

Reviews

[Nicholas Perez]

I want to read this for two reasons:

1) For my nieces

2) Because the seed has a butt on the back cover

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightburger.

[Mikayla Brehm · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are SO back😛 #storiesandsteam #libraryvolunteer #ilovehelpingbutwithnorealresponsibilities

This week was a super cute garden theme 🪏🪴👩‍🌾and I really enjoyed the book📖🍔 Cute illustrations 👩‍🎨and loved the raccoon’s 🦝character development in learning to adapt from one’s perceptions of someone else 💚

My station was painting itty bitty terracotta pots🪴 and then they could take home a packet of seeds🌱 to plant marigolds🌼 Fat juicy kiss 💋to the tempera paint🫟 that was so easy to clean off tables and fingers 💅

Special shout out to the girl with an avatar baby doll🩵, that was crazy😵‍💫, and the mom who was trying to gentle parent but just needed to take their kid away who was having a crazy melt down🫶🏻

[Flossmoor Public Library (IL) · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

This picture book has a sweet overall lesson. A hungry raccoon finds a seed in a garbage can and they predict that the seed may grow into a cheeseburger plant. They form a strong friendship during the plant’s growing process, with the raccoon imagining delicious cheeseburgers and the plant enjoying his company. They are surprised by the result when the seed turns out to be a flower. Despite the raccoon’s disappointment, their friendship remains strong.

~ Miss Emily

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Yes, there are cheeseburgers in this book. No, you can’t eat this book. Yes, that is a seed butt on the book’s back cover.” These excerpts from the peculiar jacket notes set the tone for this wacky take on friendship between two most unlikely compadres. How could a story about a raccoon and seed get any weirder? Add cheeseburgers as a MacGuffin.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 5 out of 5]

A raccoon finds a seed while wandering through a garbage can. Can the seed be a cheeseburger seed? The raccoon and the seed are not sure.

A charming story! A friendship between a raccoon and...a (could it be?) cheeseburger seed? Completely delightful.

[Isabella (isabunchofbooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

so cute

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read this recently, but apparently I've neglected to log it. One of my favorite picture books of the last few years--the raccoon's facial expressions are incredible, the seed has funny little butt cheeks, and the cheeseburger sunrise is divinely illustrated.

Shit gets real however, when the seed finally blooms, and he has to break it to his raccoon buddy that he wasn't a cheeseburger after all--he was just a lousy flower. And even though the raccoon wanted him to be a cheeseburger so badly (the raccoon's face is priceless as he processes this information), even though he tended to the soil and watered his friend with the hope that he would become a cheeseburger, ultimately the raccoon loves his friend no matter what he turned out to be.

There is definitely a reading here for parents, imo. Ideally you will love your kids wholeheartedly, regardless of whether they became the cheeseburger you had hoped they would be.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grub the raccoon as found a seed in the trash and the seed starts talking. Seed asks Grub to plant them in the ground to see what grows. Grub really hopes it’s a cheeseburger. Grub spends his nights talking with seed and being a really good friend. One day Seed pops out of the ground and grows to a flower. No cheeseburgers here, just a lovely friendship. This is a lovely story all around. It’s heart springs from the pages, and makes Grub a friend we would all be happy to have.

[Shaye Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a unique book that combines the topics of day/night, friendship, unique qualities, and even a plant's lifecycle. The artist used watercolor, colored pencils, and ink to create the digital illustrations for this book.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet book with a lesson. I would love to have a cheeseburger plant. But sadly, there are no plants like that. But this book was so cute I loved it. And kids will love that there is a seed butt on the back cover.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute story about friendship and expectations. I really enjoyed reading this to my son. I think the saddest part of the book was that the raccoon did not end up with what he wanted in the end. Overall, rating 4/5 stars ⭐️ would recommend to ages 5 and up.

[Roxanne (The Novel Sanctuary) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story about friendship

[Andi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a sweet book & the illustrations are adorable.

[Kellee Moye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read with Gunnar

[Lisa]

My favorite part of this book was the color, and I didn't like much else about it - but my 4 year old enjoyed it!

[Claire Wrobel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and cute way to teach kids about finding beauty in everything and appreciating the little things.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very sweet.

[Sonya Killam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Kaitlyn for the birthday present!! 💕

[Fatima Seraj Alam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did the seed really need a shapely butt at the back of the book? The story made me crave for a cheeseburger. The development of friendship was nice to see.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

An adorable story with colorful pictures!!!!

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A raccoon finds a seed in the garbage and dreams of planting a cheeseburger tree.

[Marco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grub deserves a cheeseburger

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a delightful book about friendship, growth, and the definition of a cheeseburger, which comes up because neither character seems to have actually seen one in its entirety. Before this book came out, though, most readers probably didn't know that seeds had butts, much less what they looked like, so it's probably a good thing that the art director for this publisher didn't know about that illustration. The loneliness of a racoon in the night was a touching concept, but the resolution to the story was great, even though the author lied about the cheeseburgers. No, really, right there on the inside front cover, we were promised cheeseburgers in a way that suggested reality, when in fact we were only given metaphorical cheeseburgers, if that. That's a cruel lesson of life. Sometimes the cheeseburger exists only in your soul...

[Elaine Fultz, retired librarian (38 years serving youth) · Rating 1 out of 5]

A raccoon is in pursuit of a cheeseburger, but finds a “seed,” instead. Neither the animal nor the plant know what the seed will become, but they become friends as the process progresses. The “seed” in the illustrations looks like a damn lime. Even when it’s in the ground, it’s a lime. Spoiler - the seed continues to look like a lime until it unfolds as a flower. The raccoon is disappointed but loves the flower. This will be in my collection because it was free as a review book, but I’d never spend money on it.

[Vernon Area Public Library KIDS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Readers will enjoy this delightful story about the friendship between Grub the raccoon and Seed the seed. Grub is in the trash can looking for food and Seed is waiting for someone to plant it in the ground. Grub plants Seed with the hopeful expectation that Seed will turn into a cheeseburger plant. When Seed becomes a flower rather than a cheeseburger, Grub realizes that flowers are special and they celebrate their friendship with understanding and acceptance. This title is on the 2023 Monarch list.

Reviewed by: Liz Glazer, Youth and School Services, Vernon Area Public Library

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grub, a hungry racoon rummaging through the trash meets a seed waiting in the trash for someone to plant it. They realize they might be able to help each other. A charming, hilarious friendship following two unlikely strangers learning more about the other and discovering the pressure that comes with trying to fulfill expectations.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read aloud for my Kindergarten friends!

[Carol Gordon Ekster · Rating 5 out of 5]

So clever! Such a creative and wonderful book about expectations and friendships and flexibility. I loved it!

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A raccoon plants a seed in the hopes that it will grow into a cheeseburger plant.

One night a raccoon named Grub is rummaging in the garbage when he discovers a glowing green seed that resembles a mystical lime. Seed strikes up a conversation with Grub, saying he is looking for someone to plant him, so he can grow. Grub asks if he is a Cheeseburger plant to which Seed responds maybe, so Grub plants him and eagerly awaits the cheeseburger harvest.

As they wait for Seed to grow, they talk each night and gradually form a friendship. When Seed sprouts a flower instead of a cheeseburger, Grub reacts with affection rather than disappointment.

This picture book is about the friendship between two different people/beings, which shows young readers that it is possible to make friends with someone even if they have little in common with that person. In the story, shared experience forms the basis of the character’s friendship.

Although the raccoon’s motives are initially selfish, he is changed by his experience. This may be a reflection of the idea that evil will be turned to good by the pure of heart. I am not sure. People who use others transactionally don’t tend to change. But it is possible that one’s motives for doing something can change over time. Sometimes one begins doing something for one reason but continues doing it for another.