Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie

By Julie Sternberg
Rating: 3 3/4 stars

In this pleasant early chapter book, Eleanor is having a very bad August.  The babysitter she's had every day of her life is moving to Florida to help take care of her father.  And her best friend Pearl is off on vacation in Oregon.  How is she going to survive missing Bibi this way?  Her father tries to help by arranging a playdate with Agnes from upstairs--not realizing that Agnes is really mean.  Eleanor writes a letter to Bibi and waits for a reply almost as soon as she mails it.  Then her parents get her a new babysitter--Natalie.  Natalie is as different from Bibi as could be, but sometimes she is just the same, and Eleanor can't stand it.  Will she ever get over missing Bibi?  This is a really great short book about learning how to move on with your life, even while you are missing someone you love.  Perfect for kids just starting to read chapter books on their own with lots of drawings on every page.  Sweet and gentle.