About This Book
Reach for this book when your child comes home frustrated by a change in their school routine or feels that a new teacher is being unfair. It is a perfect choice for kids who rely on the predictability of the classroom and feel anxious when their favorite adults or social structures are disrupted. The story follows best friends Peach and Plum as they navigate the arrival of a substitute teacher who enforces rigid new rules that keep them apart. Through humor and food-based puns, it explores the feelings of injustice and separation anxiety that often bubble up in elementary school. Parents will appreciate how it validates a child's sense of fairness while modeling how to adapt to change. It is an approachable, low-stress entry into the graphic novel format that helps children process the 'small' school dramas that feel like big deals to them.
What Parents Should Know
Sensitive Topics
The book deals with mild authority conflict and social separation. The approach is metaphorical, using fruit characters to keep the tone light and secular. The resolution is realistic and hopeful, focusing on the temporary nature of substitutes and the resilience of friendship.
