The Wise Pickle - by Sarah Howden (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

TWO STARRED REVIEWS! - A hilariously absurd and philosophical picture book for 3-to-7-year-olds about a pickle slowly withering in the sun, sharing its hard-earned wisdom with the local animal population and preparing to be eaten by a dog (its preferred way to go). For fans of I Want My Hat Back and The Skunk.

A pickle arrives out of nowhere.

"I have lived a lot of life," it says.

As the pickle slowly withers in the hot sun, the local animals ask it questions. Questions like "Do you ever get bored?" and "Are you hungry?" and "Why are we here?"

The pickle has all the answers.

Except one: what happens next?

A truly weird and wonderful book, The Wise Pickle will charm readers big and small with its combination of subtle humor, pathos and ridiculousness, all perfectly captured in Sabina Hahn's delightful illustrations.

Review Quotes

A July/August 2026 Kids' Indie Next List Pick
A CBC Books Bestseller

"With a briny wit, Howden and Hahn offer up a sly parable suggesting that radical acceptance can be goofy, profound and green. . . . Full of tangy absurdity, it's a picture book fit to be relished." --STARRED REVIEW, Publisher's Weekly

"This quirky picture book is a perfect (and perfectly intriguing) read-aloud for conversation and laughs."--STARRED REVIEW, School Library Journal

"Wisdom can come from the unlikeliest places in children's books. . . . Sarah Howden's deadpan picture book asks, why not a pickle? . . . Call it a meditation on the cyclical nature of existence -- or simply the power of good timing." --Wall Street Journal

"This delightfully deadpan musing on life urges compassion for others. Howden's straightforward text is on the philosophical side, though also rooted in the absurd. . . . A thoughtful look at life, in all its beauty and strangeness." --Kirkus Reviews

"With playful pickle illustrations, this weird and ridiculous tale will have children laughing and wondering." --Barbara Hesson, Calgary Herald

"[A] truly surprising, funny and fitting end." --Montreal Gazette

"Prospective Samuel Beckett fans -- or any readers open to receiving inscrutable life lessons from a pickle -- will find much to chew over in this droll slice of deadpan dilly-dally." --Booklist

"[S]arah Howden doesn't just give us a deeply philosophical look at life's journey -- there's also a look at who we revere and why. She also tells her story with a dry humor, which is bolstered by NYC's Sabina Hahn's pencil and watercolour art." --CanLit for LittleCanadians

"The Wise Pickle is a hilarious, contemplative story that all ages will eat up and request again and again. It is a must for any library or home collection and would make a delectable gift for any child."--Celebrate Picture Books

"Such briny wisdom. . . . Sabina Hahn's illustrations -- created with pencil, watercolor and pickle brine -- leave plenty of white space and capture the story's mock solemnity with just the right understated humor." --Ron Charles, former Washington Post critic

About the Author

SARAH HOWDEN is the author of several books for children, including Cone Cat, Cone Dog and The Tunnel. Her poems have been published in Grain and Jones Av., and stories in Chirp and Chickadee magazines. Sarah is also an editor at Orca Book Publishers, where she enjoys helping other writers sculpt their stories. She works out writing conundrums on walks around her neighborhood or by distracting herself with snacks (she won't say no to a crunchy pickle). Having grown up in the Niagara Region, she now lives in Toronto with her husband, daughter, and two mischievous cats.

Illustrator, animator and sculptor SABINA HAHN has been a voracious reader and an unstoppable doodler her whole life, which has led her into the world of children's books. She loves stories, tall tales and most importantly, pickles. Sabina grew up in Riga, Latvia, and now lives in New York.