Peanut Butter & Brains

May 18, 2015
The Walking Dead they ain’t—why, they’re barely decayed—but the blue-skinned zombies in this ripped-from-cable spoof are still intent on eating brains. Except, that is, for one zombie kid named Reginald, who craves peanut butter and jelly. Getting what he wants isn’t easy: when Reginald’s quest takes him to the school cafeteria, a lunch lady “slapped a hunk of meat loaf on his tray instead. It looked an awful lot like brains.” But the discovery that some things are even “better than brains” leads to a happily-ever-after ending for the living and the undead alike. Santoso’s (I Don’t Like Koala) ink-and-watercolor drawings sometimes lack a strong compositional punch, but they strike a successful silly-scary balance; in his best visual gag, Santoso uses speech bubbles filled with images of brains to convey the zombies’ single-minded focus. Striking a reportorial tone, newcomer McGee gets substantial comic mileage out of repeating the word “brains”—or “brainsssss,” as it’s evocatively spelled at several points. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Linda Epstein, Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Justin Rucker, Shannon Associates,

August 1, 2015
Everyone knows zombies love to eat brains. What happens when one has a taste for something else, instead? "Reginald was not like the other zombies," preferring peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches to brains. Reginald tries the corner cafe, but no zombies are allowed there. He goes to the school cafeteria only to be served "a hunk of meat loaf" that "looked an awful lot like brains." Oscar's Grocery has the ingredients he needs, but all he has in his pockets are worms. When all hope seems lost, he spots a girl with a telltale jelly stain seeping through her paper bag. As Reginald shambles toward her, the rest of the zombies follow. They want brains, Reginald wants the sandwich, and the townspeople want them all to go away. In a bold move, Reginald seizes the bag-then throws the sandwich "into the crowd of drooling zombies." As he suspected, the zombies love the peanut butter and jelly, much more than brains. With their bodies no longer in danger, the townspeople decide to welcome the zombies and keep them supplied with their new favorite food. Santoso milks the faux horror for all it is worth with his child-friendly illustrations in pen and ink and watercolor-imagine heads thrown back in terrified screams. Readers will chuckle as Reginald is grossed out in the cafeteria and cheer once all the creatures in Quirkville figure out a way to get along. Run, don't shamble, to get this original zombie tale. (Picture book. 4-8)

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September 1, 2015

Gr 1-3-As zombies ramble through the streets of an unnamed neighborhood searching for the elusive "brains" they crave, Reginald decides to be the rebel of the group and is instead on the lookout for a delicious... peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Reginald searches all day looking for what he wants until he finds it at a busy bus stop in the hands of a young girl. McGee's story has humor throughout (when he asks his lunch lady for a sandwich, she "slap(s) a hunk of meat loaf on his tray instead. It looked an awful lot like brains."). Santoso's watercolor and ink illustrations are a soothing, sometimes dull palette of blues and grays, creating a nice balance between silly and scary but never verging on frightening. Text and illustrations work well together to make an amusing read-aloud for older kids around Halloween time. The mustard yellow endpapers showcase the different cuisine options for the zombies, with speech bubbles filled with brains on the front and PB&J sandwiches in speech bubbles on the back, echoing the zombies' exclamations throughout the story. VERDICT A humorous, not too scary look at zombie culinary habits.-Christopher Lassen, Brooklyn Public Library

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2015
While the rest of the horde demands BRAINSSSSS for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, all zombie Reginald wants is a good ol' PB&J. After striking out at the corner cafe, the school cafeteria, and the grocery store, Reginald lurches toward a little girl and her paper-bag lunchsending the townspeople into a panic. But this humorous story ends happily for everyone once the other zombies get a taste of the classic sandwich. The illustrations' rounded shapes and pastel watercolor washes portray zombies who are more cute than scary, and full of personality. Signs and balloons with images of brains inside cleverly communicate the zombies' food preferences in a nonverbal wayafter all, zombies aren't very articulate. katie bircher

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)