Enemy Pie

Annotation
Hoping that the enemy pie which his father makes will help him get rid of his enemy, a little boy finds that instead it helps make a new friend.

From the Publisher
It was the perfect summer. That is, until Jeremy Ross moved into the house down the street and became neighborhood enemy number one. Luckily Dad had a surefire way to get rid of enemies: Enemy Pie. But part of the secret recipe is spending an entire day playing with the enemy!In this funny yet endearing story, one little boy learns an effective recipes for turning your best enemy into your best friend. Accompanied by charming illustrations, Enemy Pie serves up a sweet lesson in the difficulties and ultimate rewards of making new friends. Tara Calahan King is an illustrator and muralist who studied at the Art Academy of Cincinnati. She lives in Ohio.

From the Critics
From School Library Journal  
K-Gr 3-What should have been a perfect summer for one young boy is ruined when Jeremy Ross moves in and becomes number one on the narrator's enemy list. Fortunately, his father has a secret recipe for a pie that is guaranteed to help get rid of enemies. While Dad works on mixing the ingredients and baking the pie, he explains his son's role in the plan: "-you need to spend a day with your enemy. Even worse, you have to be nice to him." It sounds tough, but the boy decides to give it a try. Predictably, between throwing water balloons at the girls, playing basketball, and hiding out in the tree house, he decides that Jeremy is not so bad after all. There's still the problem of the pie, however. When his father serves up the dessert, the young protagonist decides to warn Jeremy that it is "poisonous or something." However, it seems that both his father and his new friend are just fine, and what's more, the pie is delicious. This is a clever tale with an effective message about how to handle relationships and conflict. King's stylized and humorous illustrations, done in colored pencil and pastel, will work well with a group.-Roxanne Burg, Thousand Oaks Library, CA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
 
From Kirkus Reviews  
Bland pictures and superficial presentation sink this problem-solver. Feeling slighted by new neighbor Jeremy, the aggrieved young narrator accepts his father's offer to make an"enemy pie." Dad insists on doing the baking, but tells the lad that the recipe also requires spending a day playing with the enemy—after which, predictably, the two lads sit down as newly minted friends for pie à la mode. Though the narrator speculates about the pie's ingredients, the promisingly gross worm-and-weed dishes on the cover never materialize in the illustrations inside, nor are any of Jeremy's supposed offenses depicted. Instead, King shows the boys in a series of conventional, static scenes, throwing water balloons at girls and other fun activities. Meanwhile, Dad's fixed, knowing smile invites viewers to share the conceit—even though his naïve son never does catch on. And is Jeremy really so hostile? He displays so little individual character that it's hard to get a read on him; he just seems to be going with the flow. Invite readers to order up a bowl of Betsy Everitt's Mean Soup (1992) instead, or a slice of Margie Palatini's Piggie Pie (1995). (Picture book. 6-8)