Harold the Iceberg Melts Down - by Lisa Wyzlic (Hardcover)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

Accompanied by Rebecca Syracuse's bold, whimsical artwork, Lisa Wyzlic's debut picture book Harold the Iceberg Melts Down is all about the importance of friendship and self-care, perfect for any young reader worried about their planet's future.

Harold is an iceberg... lettuce. (But he doesn't realize the "lettuce" part because part of his sticker has ripped off.) So one day when he sees a documentary about how the icebergs are melting, Harold starts to worry, thinking that he's melting too.

As his anxiety grows and grows, and he tries to find a way to stop melting, his fellow food friends try to help him cool down in a different way.

Review Quotes

Praise for Harold the Iceberg Melts Down:

A Blue Spruce Award Honor Book
A Green Earth Book Award Longlist Selection

"The perfect picture book for anxious kids. ... The anxiety my daughter experiences isn't debilitating--after some time of spiraling, we can get her back to feeling safe--but it is exhausting, and it's often hard to parent when you're constantly worried about your kid's worries. And this beautiful picture book, featuring whimsical illustrations of Harold, a head of iceberg lettuce, and all his pals in the refrigerator really seems to get just how exhausting those spirals are--for the ones who are spiraling and for the ones who love them." --Romper

"A punny tale of food friends tackling anxiety and climate change ... With humor and a light touch, Wyzlic balances brief expository passages with emotional dialogue. Syracuse's digitally rendered anthropomorphic foods feature noodly stick limbs, expressive eyes, and enjoyable edible details, among them a chair made of bread and olives, a butter-stick TV stand, and a hot-sauce mustache." --Publishers Weekly

"Wyzlic tackles eco-anxiety at a kid-friendly level, and cartoony Harold and his fridge friends soften the reality of a crisis that even younger readers are beginning to realize as dire. Despite Harold's misread on his own danger in the iceberg situation, the book doesn't mock or downplay his anxiety, but it does emphasize that worrying to the state of paralysis isn't going to do anyone any good: 'Harold was so focused on his impending doom that they couldn't get through to him.' ... There's very much a 'keep calm and carry on' message here that, when paired with the real actionable items provided at the end of the book, gives some amount of agency to the generation that will be most impacted by the changing climate." --The Bulletin

"The stratagems for handling stress are useful, and the colorful, cartoonish digital illustrations are energetic and expressive. ... Fun, with worthwhile points raised. It may even get some kids to try lettuce." --Kirkus Reviews

"The characters, googly-eyed vegetables with loads of digitally acquired personality, are charming, more than charitable, and children will love the adventure." --School Library Journal

About the Author

Lisa Wyzlic enjoys imagining creatures and objects with Strong Feelings and telling their stories. Like her characters, Lisa often has her own Strong Feelings, though normally not about melting. She lives with her husband, two kids, and two rescue cats in Manitoba, Canada. Harold the Iceberg Melts Down is her debut picture book.

Rebecca Syracuse is an illustrator and children's book designer based in Jersey City. She received a BFA in illustration from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA. After graduating, Rebecca got her start designing children's products, but quickly discovered her real love: BOOKS! When she isn't drawing faces on vegetables, you might find her scoping the shelves of her local bookstore, or trying to pet a stray cat. Harold the Iceberg Melts Down is her picture book illustration debut.