Xerus Won't Allow It -- Sweet Pickles --Weekly Reader Books' Edition

Sweet Pickles #24

by Richard Hefter

un-numbered pages

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction

Hardcover

First published March 1, 1979

About the author

Richard Hefter met children's author Jacquelyn Reinach in 1975. He was contracted at the time to write 26 books for the publishers Holt. After the contract expired he formed a publishing venture, Euphrosyne, with Reinach.

He is known as the creator of Stickybear and as the co-creator (with Reinach) and illustrator for the Sweet Pickles[1] library of books, and for the Strawberry Library of First Learning. The Sweet Pickles series went on to sell 40 million copies. Hefter described his aim as "trying to help children understand things like shyness, laziness and embarrassment in a humorous way."

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

Xerus loves her rules. She likes to tell people what they can do and especially what they can’t. She likes control. I have known people in life like this. It can be difficult to relate to them for me. I like the Zebra in this series. He seems to always have the answer to help his friends. Zebra is the Yoda character in the Sweet Pickles series - wise and silly.

Sweet Pickles are popular in our house. The kids are loving these. They loved the sign the Zebra made at the end. This got 4 stars from the kids.

[Madison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I discovered this book when I was looking through a box of old books to be donated and I decided to read it. I thought the book was a little odd but I guess overall a pretty good book. I thought the ending was really funny!

[Maggie Mattmiller · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with the other Sweet Pickles books, GREAT conversation starters in here! Can't wait to use with my students!

[Selina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I used to read these books as a child. Recently I found almost the entire series in a second-hand library book sale. I bought them and although my daughter enjoys the stories, they are so long to read out loud! This book is especially taxing because the name is so unusual, I'm not even sure I'm pronouncing it correctly!

[Rosa Cline · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is part of the Sweet Pickles series. Xerus sees the town has a problem there is no rules. So she goes an makes signs. And at first the signs work. Allowing others to know where to park and which ways to go. But then she starts making too many signs and no one can do anything. So others have to step in and prevent her from making signs. to much of a good thing is bad.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of my childhood favorites.

[Shawn Thrasher · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my dreams as a 1970s kid was having a complete set of Sweet Pickles. Back then,I used to come up with my own animal adjective combinations and sometimes still do instead of counting sheep to fall asleep, except I try to find the most terrible and most difficult combinations, and then image what that character would be like (Articulate Alligator speaks VERY well; Biting Bear is VERY sarcastic). I did not own a SINGLE Sweet Pickles book; they all had to be checked out from the library because they were some sort of mail order thing and were expensive. And my library did not have a complete set, so this is the first time I’m reading Xerus Won’t Allow It . I have lots of feels about this book.

First of all, what the hell is a xerus other than a Scrabble word? (It is NOT a Pokémon). Thank you Internet: It’s an African Ground Squirrel. (Note: when using this method to fall asleep, I never actually reach X, so I am never faced with coming up with an animal that starts with X - my method works! - also, good for Pearl, Reinach, and Hefter for finding an animal that starts with X). Second, Xerus’s first name is X-Rating, which both means nothing, and is also WAY too close to x-rated to be a children’s book. What about “Xenophobic Xerus?” Xerus can learn a lesson about being kinder to immigrants, maybe some ants who have lost their queen in a coup are refugees who now live in Sweet Pickles Village and move next door to Xerus. X-rating Xerus sounds like a stripper, and Stripping Sea Otter lives on the OTHER side of the tracks of Sweet Pickles Village.

Most importantly (and this is good thing about the book), Pearl and Co. created a character in the 1970s that resonates today. X-rating Xerus, in the book, goes around town trying to ban things people are doing. What better character for 2022 that an asshole going around trying to ban things? You know that Xerus was at school board meetings throughout the country in 2022, trying to ban books and vaccines; Xerus definitely wants to build a wall between Mexico and the USA; Xerus almost certainly voted for Trump, and trolls Unique Unicorn (not to mention Non-Binary Naked Mole Rat) on their twitter accounts (under the name @MAGAManatee). When Drag Dingo did her drag storytime at the local public library, Xerus and her cronies from the big megachurch picketed the library and she secretly swatted the childrens librarian Reading Rat Terrier’s house. Xerus has several t-shirts that say “Let’s Go Brandon,” and sent Justice Amy Coney Barrett flowers the day Roe v. Wade was overturned. Xerus wants to make Sweet Pickles Village great again. I’m giving this book an extra start just for Pearl and Co’s prescience in creating a character that lives and walks among us today. Also Ground Squirrels cause the bubonic plague; Hypochondriacal Heron was right all along about her swollen glands after going to Xerus’s potluck / fundraiser for her school board election bid.

[Set · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is copyrighted from 1977 so it's a bit dated but still holds true in many aspects. The overbearing community and association rules can get out of hand, especially with a busybody that has nothing else to do but complain. The names and drawings are not appealing to today's kids.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

LFL find. Who likes these? They're not as bad as Berenstain Bears, but nearly as lame at least.