A Quick Trip to the Store

K-Gr 2–An everyday errand takes a turn for the unexpected in this endearingly silly family story from the creator of the “Chicken Little” series. When they run out of bananas, a very light-skinned girl with red hair and her mother are forced to do something neither of them particularly enjoys: go food shopping together. Mom is soon distracted, and the daughter sets off on her own, blithely unaware of the ensuing storewide search. The narrative is packed with a surprisingly varied range of themes—child versus adult perspectives, trying out independence, getting lost in public, making amends—but Wedelich skillfully ties them together with deft comedic timing and heart. Her ink, watercolor, pencil, and digital illustrations are loose, wiggly, and full of slyly funny details, chief among them a grocery store with the truly inspired name “Oinkly Doinkly.” The book’s visual language is supported by appealing cartoon elements: motion lines, written sound effects, and tiny hearts, stars, and rainbows that underscore the protagonist’s peppy enthusiasm. Wedelich views both parent and child with a worldly mix of sympathy and dry amusement. In a sequence of chuckle-worthy vignettes, the two engage in a back-and-forth negotiation on food whose packaging allows readers to glimpse them from each other’s perspective (the mother holds up a box with the brand name “Horribly Healthy,” while the daughter’s bag of snacks boasts, “A cavity in every bag!”). The author clearly understands these battles, frustrating from the inside, baffling from the outside, and offers a welcome dose of hilarity to guide us through them.