Judi Barrett

In this charming sequel to the classic Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, Kate and Henry eagerly await Grandpa's return from a vacation that his postcard says has been one of the best and most unusual ever. Thinking about that postcard Kate drifts off to sleep that night and..."With Henry as my co-pilot..." she visits the strange land of Chewandswallow -- a land characterized by massive amounts of food, immense carrots, leafy jungles of lettuce, and tuna fish sandwiches so gigantic they have to be moved by helicopter. What the people of Chewandswallow are doing with all that food is most intriguing of all. Fans of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs will applaud this return trip with its underlying message of generosity and a world community.

The Sequel to Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Pickles to Pittsburgh

Sarah Sammis

Pickles to Pittsburgh by Judi Barrett is is the sequel to Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

Food continues to rain down in Chewandswallow. It's gotten larger and larger and more out of control. Now that the residents have evacuated they have to decide what to do with their weather problem.

Rather than see this over-sized food as a problem (as it is in the movie adaptation of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs), the food is seen as a blessing. There's a chance to share the bounty, hence the Pickles to Pittsburgh.

As I mentioned in my review of the first book, the artwork, while retro feeling, did provide much of the artistic inspiration for the film. That holds true for the sequel. As the food here is naturally occurring, it's seen as a natural resource.

If you read the book with a child who has seen the movie, take a chance to talk about how it's similar and different. They will recognize many of the scenes from the second half of the movie but they might be surprised at how differently these scenes are described in the book.

Four stars

Pickles to Pittsburgh The Sequel to Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs