Planet of the Pies (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs #3)

More edible precipitation--falling not on the town of Chewandswallow this time, but Mars, and timed to whet appetites for the second iteration of the film version of the franchise. Grandpa falls asleep in his chair following news reports of astronauts greeted by a shower of goo on the red planet and dreams of being there himself, helping the green-skinned residents cope with barrages of falling pies. They're all the fruit-filled sort in Mons' illustrations, which are closely modeled on Ron Barrett's work in the previous two Cloudy episodes and sandwich color views of Martian cities and citizens between earthly scenes in crosshatched black and white. The story goes on a little too long and ends in a muddle--the goo turns out to be ordinary Martian rain, but the pie Grandpa serves to his grandchildren in the final scene comes from an interplanetary shipping carton that is somehow translated into reality from his dream solution of exporting fallen pies to Earth. Nevertheless, the showers of crust and fruit filling look delectable, and the illustrator tucks in plenty of amusing side business and sight gags. An extra helping for those readers who haven't had their fill of the general premise. (Picture book. 6-8)

Copyright 2013 Kirkus Reviews, LLC Used with permission.

The third book (published to coincide with the second Cloudy movie) follows a pattern similar to its predecessors. Here, astronauts encounter weird Martian precipitation, which a reporter improbably (or is it?) speculates is pie filling. Mones's illustrations suitably approximate Ron Barrett's style. The lengthy text becomes forced and tedious, but readers partial to this brand of humor may be satisfied.

Copyright 2014 Hornbook, LLC Used with permission.

A full 35 years after Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (and 16 years after its sequel, Pickles to Pittsburgh), Barrett offers a third food-filled romp starring Kate, Henry, and Grandpa. Mones nicely approximates Ron Barrett's work on the previous books, as news reports about the possibility of pie filling on the surface of Mars pique the children's interest. B&w pen-and-ink artwork shifts to color as Grandpa dreams of a trip to the red planet, where the locals have more pie than they can handle. Though the story meanders, Mones's visions of a dessert-laden Mars should whet readers' appetites. Ages 4-8. (Aug.)

K-Gr 2--The saga continues with larger-than-life food, but this time the adventure is out of this world-literally. Grandpa shows the kids the newspaper headline: astronauts have landed on Mars. A television reporter comes on saying that the astronauts discovered a "thick, glutinous substance" on the ground and falling from the sky. He suggests that it could be pie filling. The kids fantasize about going to Mars and having Martian pie. Grandpa falls asleep in front of the television and begins to dream. He is on Mars, where there are pies everywhere and raining from the sky. The pie in the sky situation, though, is a little out of hand, and the Martians had been waiting for someone to help. They decide that the best solution is to catch the treats as they fall and start a business, selling the pies all over Earth. Grandpa awakes, and both the news reporter and the newspaper confirm that there were, in fact, no pies on Mars, but it's still fun to dream. Although this third book in the series has a new illustrator, the feel from the previous books is not lost. The pen-and-ink illustrations are filled with action; color is only used while Grandpa is dreaming, which adds to the fantasy of it all. A great purchase for libraries where the series is popular.--Emily E. Lazio, The Smithtown Special Library District, NY