Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds. Illustrated by Peter Brown
Marirosa Mia: Jasper Rabbit LOVES carrots. He loves them like I love Nutella, which is a lot, people. He plucks them from Crackenhopper Field on the way to school, a game, or back home. Then one day Jasper is sure that his favorite treat is following him. He sees creepy carrots in his bedroom! Creepy carrots following him to school! It's driving him mad. Is Jasper's favorite snack actually following him around, or has he had one (something or other) too many? Written by Aaron Reynolds and illustrated by the talented Peter Brown (author and illustrator of THE CURIOUS GARDEN), CREEPY CARROTS is a fun tale of paranoia and a possible Vitamin A overdose resulting in visual hallucinations. Kidding! I found CREEPY CARROTS to be a zany trip to the twilight zone, cleverly illustrated with a funny (and slightly morbid) twist ending. Julie?
Julie: I love the combination of humor and horror in this book. The art is simultaneously ominous--almost exclusively black and white with splashes of orange (primarily the carrots); plenty of shadows; a Hitchcock-ian shower scene; sinister sightings in the tool shed--and hilarious. We're talking, after all, about carrots! With crossed eyes and occasionally severed heads (why severed? I don't know!) and gaps in their teeth. The overall effect is both unusual and riveting. I predict kids will love it. Do you agree, Mia?
M: Yes! Huge fan of the art. I think this was a great pairing of minds, and the nod to Hitchcock and that era is spot on. I can't wait to read it to my niece, who loves carrots (by which I mean she eats them without complaint). Our readers should also check out this lovely video of Peter Brown talking about why he chose this particular style for CREEPY CARROTS.
J: Is there something you didn't love about the book? I have to confess that although I credit the cleverness of the ending, I don't love it. I don't want to give anything away--I'll just say that it felt very concrete and confining to me, in a way that seems at odds with the free-wheeling imagination of the story. Does that make any sense at all?
M: Do you mean you saw the ending coming? I'm not sure I understand.
J: No, that's not what I mean. I've been trying fruitlessly to think of a way to explain that doesn't ruin the ending. So, SPOILER ALERT!!! Do Not Read Further If You Want to Keep the Ending a Surprise! Last chance to look away. Okay, here goes: I guess I love the notion that these wacky carrots are roaming around out there, popping up in surprising places, making funny faces. Having them all hemmed in at the end--even though they're happy in their confinement--brought an abrupt halt to my carrots-on-the-loose imaginings. I frankly felt a little irritated!
M: Ah, I see. You weren't fond of the gated community and you like your carrots free-range.
J: Exactly! Is that so wrong?
M: Not at all, Julie, not at all.
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