[hungry review + giveaway] Pie-Rats by Lisa Frenkel Riddiough and David Mottram

~ jama

Ahoy There, Me Hearties!

‘Tis time t’ swash yer buckles, hoist the Jolly Roger and twirl yer tricornes. We’re sailin’ the high seas in pursuit of PIE!

Arrrrrrrrr yer ready? 🙂

As someone who’s devoted her life to “the quest for pie,” I can safely say that Pie-Rats! by Lisa Frenkel Riddiough and David Mottram (Viking, 2024) is prime booty. Served up with heaping helpings of gastronomic gusto, this upper crust yarrrrn about a motley crew of ravenous rodents will have dessert-loving landlubbers begging for more.

Pie-rats sail the
starry night, 
seeking treasures
baked just right.

Pie-rats don't want gold
doubloons -- their bounty comes
on forks and spoons.

Aye, rats after me own heart, they arrrrr. Could there be a nobler mission? Of course not. From the poop deck, hear them cry:

PIE, PIE, PIE, PIE!

So intense is their hunger for pie, they see different flavors in the clouds — “Pumpkin, apple, that one’s cherry./Plum, pecan, a slice of berry.”

What’s more, rain, gusting winds and choppy seas do not deter them in the least – what’s a “little squall” when it comes to PIE, PIE, PIE, PIE!? Oh, now it’s a typhoon? Bring it on, you lily-livered scurvy dog!

AVAST! TYPHOON!
Rock to and fro.
Pie-rats roll like
pastry dough.

Splashing, crashing,
skitter, scream!
Holding on for
Boston cream.

Drenched and dripping,
ears to flank.
Feeling like they walked
the plank.

From the ratlines, 
hear them cry:
     PIE, PIE, PIE, PIE.

Having ridden out that storm, the next morning the whiskered ones detect the heavenly scents of pie: “Cinnamon with hints of lime!” Aye, they’re on it! Before long, LAND, HO! A dessert-ed island replete with giant donuts, ice cream cones, cookies and fruit. It must be Pie-land!

They drop anchor and swim ashore, ready to feast on “pie galore.” They trudge through sand, cross a stream, “dashing towards banana cream.” What’s that up ahead?

Yo-ho-ho! A beach café.
Pie at last. Hurray! Hurray!

Noses twitching,
tails whipping,
pie-rats' tummies
flip-flop flipping.

Oh, so close! But then . . . “AARGH! Disaster! Mission cursed. Scallywags arrived here first.” Hang those hamsters!

They ate all the pie! Noooooooooooo!

“Hungry pie-rats dare to fight. Then they glimpse a fresh-baked sight.”

Should they call a truce?

Blimey! When it comes to dessert, there be no picky eaters. They arrrrrr more than happy to take the CAKE! 😀

This nimbly executed nautical nosh is powered by Riddiough’s pitch perfect rollicking rhymes. A joy to read aloud, her verse is inventive, never predictable, and works double time to succinctly advance the narrative. The repetition of the PIE, PIE, PIE, PIE chorus heightens anticipation and keeps the energy level high.

David Mottram’s action-packed plucky pictures, created with pen-and-ink and digital coloring, make rats, who are often given a bad rap, surprisingly adorable. Who’d have ever thought pointy snouts, beady eyes, wiry whiskers and pearly incisors could be so endearing?

Mottram’s details are simply delightful — from the giant spoons and forks, to the dessert-y food items on Pie-land, to the sublime meringue moon and lattice crust compass. All work to satisfy dessert lovers’ cravings for berry bounty and pastry perfection.

Score a copy of this tantalizing crusty confection for your resident rugrat soon. When it comes to pie, what better treasure? May the fork be with you. 🙂

*

PIE-RATS!
written by Lisa Frenkel Riddiough
illustrated by David Mottram
published by Viking BFYR, March 2024
Picture Book for ages 3-7, 32 pp.

Amazon
Bookshop

*

🥧 SPECIAL BOOK GIVEAWAY! 🍒

The publisher is generously offering a brand new copy of PIE-RATS! for one lucky Alphabet Soup reader. For a chance to win, please leave a comment at this post naming your favorite kind of pie no later than midnight (EDT) Wednesday, May 1, 2024. You can also enter by sending an email with PIE-RATS in the subject line to: readermail (at) jamakimrattigan (dot) com. Giveaway open to U.S. residents only, please. Good Luck!

*

Lovely and talented Ruth Hersey is hosting the Roundup at There is no such thing as a God-forsaken town. Sail on over there to check out the full menu of poetic goodness being served up around the blogosphere this week. Your mission should you choose to accept it: Eat at least four slices of PIE PIE PIE PIE! 🙂

*Interior spreads text copyright © 2024 Lisa Frenkel Riddiough, illustrations © 2024 David Mottram, published by Viking BFYR. All rights reserved.

**Copyright © 2024 Jama Rattigan of Jama’s Alphabet Soup. All rights reserved.

44 thoughts on “[hungry review + giveaway] Pie-Rats by Lisa Frenkel Riddiough and David Mottram”

  1. Bwahahahaha…I have a few pie rats in my house. If an apple pie dish is empty and left out on the table, son #1 has scored treasure…for son #2 it’s pumpkin. This book is aDORable. I think nothing can beat a good, homemade (not canned) cherry pie. I do have an uncle that makes an amazing concord grape pie. I do not think my family has just one favorite!

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  2. Pingback: chronological book review archive (2008-2024) | Jama's Alphabet Soup

  3. Oh, that rhyming, Jama, as you wrote, it is perfect! I love “Pie-land” and certainly will take the cake, too! Cute, cute, cute book! My favorite used to be chocolate pie, made with love by my mother, but since then, key-lime has taken the top spot! Thanks for sharing this book so full of smiles!

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    1. Mmmmm, chocolate pie!! I don’t think I’ve tried key lime pie — usually lemon meringue takes precedence when it comes to citrus, but maybe I’ll have to change that . . . 🙂

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  6. I just got this out of the library! I LOVE this post, Jama–so clever!

    Sadly, I am not a lover of pie, but I am a lover of pet rats :). I still miss our very first pet rat, Sky–she was the sweetest creature! This is such a clever & adorable book, and the illustrations are so cute!

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    1. Wait, you don’t like pie?!!!! *faints from disbelief** Maria, Maria, Maria, I thought I knew you. 😀 Sigh. Thanks for mentioning Sky, though, as it’s good to hear pet rats getting some good press. 🙂

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  8. Ohh, JAMA!!! This is so dear to my heart. Pie is so dear to my heart! Poetry and pie and a sense of humor all rolled into one. And we were just talking about pie here! Thank you for this most amusing pie rollick. 

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  13. You wrote, “Could there be a nobler mission?” But I saw “Could there be a COBBLER mission!” Bring on the apple crisp! 🙂

    But I digress. I groaned a serious groan at “A dessert-ed island! And just from the bits you’ve shared, this does sound like a perfect read aloud. I think I’ll use it with my after school kiddos. Won’t it be fun to draw pictures of our favorite pies and desserts?

    My favorite pie? So sorry, a tie: strawberry rhubarb for spring and summer and pecan (aka Karo Nut Pie) for fall and winter.

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    1. Cobbler mission — love it!! That’s a whole other book. I’m sure you’ll have lots of fun sharing this book with your after school kids. Warning: everyone will get very hungry!

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  15. This book is so clever with the play on words–I want to visit (maybe live?) on a “dessert-ed” island. My favorite pie is pumpkin pie made with fresh pumpkin.

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    1. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted a fresh pumpkin pie. It always seemed like too much work to cut and seed your own pumpkin. I imagine it’s really good!

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  16. What fun! This book reminds me of Suzy Levinson’s advice last week, as shared by Irene here. “try smashing two incongruous things together” Pie and rats! The pie sounds delicious, and I want to take your advice and eat four slices of pie. Any fruit flavor is great for me.

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  18. It’s a challenge to choose a favorite kind of pie, but I’ll narrow it to three: key lime, cherry, and my mother’s pumpkin pie (with extra spices!)

    Of course, if none of those are available, I’ll take lemon meringue, apple, blueberry … One really can’t go wrong with pie, can one? 🙂

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  20. Ahh. Only one kind of pie? I guess I would choose Strawberry-Rhubarb, but Lemon Meringue would be a great choice too. I think this looks like such a fun book. I will have to get my hands on a copy. Thanks for the post. 

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      1. oh really? i have never considered them to be pies at all. Don’t pies have to have crusts? what makes a pie a pie?

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      2. You’re right — crumbles are not traditional pies (which have casings made of shortcrust pastry). Yet there are some pies with crumble-like/streusel toppings. Also pies without bottom crusts. Also pies made with “crusts” made of crushed cookie crumbs. So when saying that crumbles are related to pies, I meant that with their fruit fillings and toppings, crumbles are closer to pies than cakes, for example. Some savory pies like shepherd pies, don’t have crusts at all. So your preference for crumbles over pies is that you don’t care for shortcrust pastry, then?

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      3. correct – i don’t like crusts no matter how well made. and i like the higher fruit to crumble/crisp ratio that one commonly finds in those preparations.

        no pie but yes to crisps (partial to the oatmeal)

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