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Peanut Butter & Cupcake

Book Resume

for Peanut Butter & Cupcake by Terry Border

Professional book information and credentials for Peanut Butter & Cupcake.

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  • Kirkus:
  • Ages Toddler - 6
  • Publisher's Weekly:
  • Ages Toddler - 5
  • School Library Journal:
  • Pre-K - Grade 2
  • TeachingBooks:*
  • Grades PK-2
  • Word Count:
  • 783
  • Lexile Level:
  • 680L
  • ATOS Reading Level:
  • 3.3
  • Genre:
  • Humor
  • Picture Book
  • Year Published:
  • 2014

The following 9 subject headings were determined by the U.S. Library of Congress and the Book Industry Study Group (BISAC) to reveal themes from the content of this book (Peanut Butter & Cupcake).

The following unabridged reviews are made available under license from their respective rights holders and publishers. Reviews may be used for educational purposes consistent with the fair use doctrine in your jurisdiction, and may not be reproduced or repurposed without permission from the rights holders.

Note: This section may include reviews for related titles (e.g., same author, series, or related edition).

From Kirkus

June 1, 2014
The familiar theme of the challenges facing a new kid in town is given an original treatment by photographer Border in this book of photos of three-dimensional objects in a simple modeled landscape.Peanut Butter is represented by a slice of white bread spread with the popular condiment. The other characters in the story-a hamburger with a pair of hot dogs in tow, a bowl of alphabet soup, a meatball jumping a rope of spaghetti, a carton of French fries and a pink cupcake-are represented by skillfully crafted models of these foods, anthropomorphized using simple wire construction. Rejected by each character in turn in his search for playmates, Peanut Butter discovers in the end that Jelly is his true match (not Cupcake, as the title suggests), perhaps because she is the only one who looks like him, being a slice of white bread spread with jelly. The friendly foods end up happily playing soccer together. Some parents may have trouble with the unabashedly happy depiction of carbs and American junk food (no carrots or celery sticks in this landscape), and others may find themselves troubled by the implication that friendship across difference is impossible.Still, preschoolers will likely savor this mouthwatering treatment of a subject that looms large in many early school experiences. (Picture book. 3-6)

COPYRIGHT(2014) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Kirkus

From Publisher's Weekly

May 5, 2014
Border takes ordinary household objects, gives them arms and legs made of wire, and takes brightly-lit, close-up photographs of the results. His first picture book stars a slice of bread slathered with peanut butter who’s new to the neighborhood and needs a friend. His blobby wire hands and feet are inherently funny, and his gestures are remarkably human. Peanut Butter wanders around with a soccer ball singing his signature invitational tune: “I’ll make you chuckle deep down
in your belly/ And we’ll go together like Peanut Butter and...” He’s looking for
jelly, of course, but he meets some other characters first. He recites his rhyme to a pink-iced confection shoveling in a sandbox, finishing, “And we’ll go together like Peanut Butter and... Cupcake!” “on’t hit my castle with your ball or I’ll be mad!” she snaps. An egg on a unicycle, French fries, and even a jump-roping meatball will divert readers until Peanut Butter finds the friend he’s looking for. Despite the predictability of the storyline, Border’s witty food comedy will lure children who are hungry for clever visual entertainment. Ages 3–5.

Publisher's Weekly

From School Library Journal

May 1, 2014

PreS-Gr 2-Through photographic images of manipulated 3-D objects, Border, who is the mastermind of the Bent Objects Project, crafts hilarity in this new picture book. The hero is a peanut butter-lathered piece of white bread with bent paperclips for arms and legs. Bored with playing solo soccer, Peanut Butter wanders his new neighborhood, requesting companionship in a repeated rhyme with an ending that alters to accommodate each neighbor: "we'll go together like Peanut Butter and...Hamburger" (who happens to be walking two hot dogs). The suspense builds, as readers realize how things should come together. In the end, Peanut Butter and Jelly bring the entire food team together to play. Border's goalposts made of forks and a meatball skipping a spaghetti rope are only a few of the creatively zany photographs that will make this a read-aloud hit.-Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

Peanut Butter & Cupcake was selected by educational and library professionals to be included on the following state/provincial reading lists.

United States Lists (8)

Alabama

  • Alabama Camellia Award, 2015-2016, Grades K-1

Indiana

Iowa

Maryland

  • Black-Eyed Susan Book Award, 2015-2016, Picture Book Category, Grades K-3

New York

  • Young Reader 3 Apples Book Award, 2017, Young Readers, Grades PreK-2

South Carolina

  • Picture Book Award, 2016-2017, Grades K-2

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This Book Resume for Peanut Butter & Cupcake is compiled from TeachingBooks, a library of professional resources about children's and young adult books. This page may be shared for educational purposes and must include copyright information. Reviews are made available under license from their respective rights holders and publishers.

*Grade levels are determined by certified librarians utilizing editorial reviews and additional materials. Relevant age ranges vary depending on the learner, the setting, and the intended purpose of a book.

Retrieved from TeachingBooks on February 02, 2025. © 2001-2025 TeachingBooks.net, LLC. All rights reserved by rights holders.