I’m in the midst of planning a cooking birthday party for my daughter, so I definitely have food on the brain (more than usual). So when a copy of The Great Lollipop Caper landed on my desk, I admitted to being a little more than curious. After reading the book jacket and learning the gist of the plot (the evil Mr. Caper vows to teach the kids of the world to love capers as much as they love lollipops), I knew I’d found a story worth delving into. Let’s just say that my love of salt competes with sweets on any given day, making this one tale I could relate to. A cross between The Grinch and a tenacious troll, Mr. Caper pulls out all the stops to make sure kids will adore him just as much as they do Lollipop, a lovable candy man if ever there was one. When Mr. Caper invades a candy factory to secretly alter the flavor of candy from sweet to salty, readers won’t be able to contain their horror over his wrongdoing. But, much to his unpleasant surprise, the kids don’t naturally gravitate to capers and instead lose their very essence that makes them so loveable in the first place. Thanks to the smarts of the all-day sucker himself, lollipops return to their original taste, everyone is happy again and life returns to normal. By story’s end, Mr. Caper not only gets a real-life lesson in appreciating what you have, but he makes a new friend. And that makes for the sweetest treat of all.
In a Nutshell: Calling all foodies. Here’s a new story that’s one part sweet, one part salty and a satisfying read overall.
