Trouble in the Pickle Jar

by Anne Alcott

It's sometimes boring in the pickle jar. Some pickles like to play, some like to read in peace and some like to wrestle with each other. But not everyone is a fan of that. Our pickle named Tim likes to be left alone. It's his body after all! But what happens if the other pickles don't listen?

A little rhyming story about body boundaries including a finger rhyme and funny puns !

Paperback

Published November 1, 2021

About the author

Annie is a German-born author who now lives in the Netherlands, where she cycles through the countryside like a main character in a moody indie film—if that character were also late to school pickup and covered in cat hair. She writes romcoms full of grumps, banter, and emotional chaos, because love should come with laughter and a mild identity crisis. She lives with her British husband, two small tornadoes disguised as children, and exactly two cats. When she’s not writing or drawing, she’s watching drag and pretending her fictional characters didn’t just emotionally damage her.

Reviews

[Tenaya MKD · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely precious. Anne's illustrations are adorable! My son loves looking at them and pointing out his favorite details. (My favorite was the book our star pickle reads haha.) I love the message that we need to be considerate of our friend's feelings while playing.

I'll be buying Anne's books for my kiddos for years to come. :)

[Katri Soikkeli · Rating 5 out of 5]

An adorable little book with an important message! My children especially loved the facial expressions on the pickles.

[Kim Wolters · Rating 5 out of 5]

The drawings are excellent and it’s such a funny book. The word puns are hilarious. Highly recommend this book!

[Sindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought Anne couldn’t surpass the book “When things get to loud,” but I’m pleasantly surprised again. The book is short, sweet and instructive. Children will love the rhyme, it is easy to remember like sweet children’s songs, and the lesson at the end of the book touches straight to the heart. All of you who have children, do not hesitate, buy a book, they will like it. And you who don't have children yet, buy for yourself to remember that sometimes it's okay to say no. :)

[Rachel Riendeau · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations of this little gem alone are worth a purchase! Trouble in the Pickle Jar is an incredibly helpful and easily accessible way to teach kids about boundaries and speaking up for themselves if they are uncomfortable. I know as a kid, I was not given many options to say no to hugging relatives. I'm so glad there are books like this being written for the next generation to learn that they can advocate for their own space! As with Alcott's other children's books, this is a staple for any parent or teacher!

[Hanna Urbanusson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was fortunate enough to get an arc of this book and I'm so happy I did. I absolutely LOVE the drawings and the veggie puns. The colours, the funny little characters, the rhyme - I love it all. For me the part with giving consent to tickles was so important. As a person who is high sensory and very sensitive to touch this is so important to me. I really believe any child would benefit from reading this book. (And adult too, as it's so fun!)

[Cassandra Belka · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son is three, and we really make a point to emphasize consent and body autonomy, how to listen to others about their boundaries and respect them. I was so excited to have the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book, and for it to help expand the conversation in our house about this topic. Plus, the illustrations and delivery of the story make the ideas so accessible and understandable for little ones! We all loved it in our house!

[Pernille Bro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good book to talk to your kids about physical boundaries, and how it is ok to say no. Plus the tone and humour in the book makes my son want to hear me read it again and again!