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ENTRY TYPE: new
WORK TITLE: Harold the Iceberg Is Not a Super Food
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://www.lisawyzlicbooks.com/
CITY:
STATE:
COUNTRY: Canada
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LAST VOLUME:
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Married; children: two.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer. Author of children’s books.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, January 1, 2023, review of Harold the Iceberg Melts Down; May 15, 2024, review of Harold the Iceberg Is Not a Super Food.
Publishers Weekly, January 16, 2023, review of Harold the Iceberg Melts Down, p. 74.
ONLINE
Lisa Wyzlic website, https://www.lisawyzlicbooks.com (January 5, 2025).
Hello,
a bit about me:
Lisa Wyzlic enjoys imagining creatures and objects with Strong Feelings and telling their stories. Like her characters, Lisa often has her own Strong Feelings, though normally not about melting. She lives with her husband, two kids, and three rescue creatures in Manitoba, Canada.
Harold the Iceberg Melts Down
Lisa Wyzlic, author
Rebecca Syracuse, illustrator
Feiwel & Friends
c/o Macmillan Children's Publishing Group
www.macmillan.com
9781250830623, $18.99, HC, 40pp
https://www.amazon.com/Harold-Iceberg-Melts-Down/dp/1250830621
Synopsis: Harold is an iceberg... lettuce. (But he doesn't realize the "lettuce" part because part of his sticker has ripped off.) So one day when he sees a documentary about how the icebergs are melting, Harold starts to worry, thinking that he's melting too. As his anxiety grows and grows, and he tries to find a way to stop melting, his fellow food friends try to help him cool down in a different way.
Critique: An original and quite novel picture book for children ages 3-6, "Harold the Iceberg Melts Down" by author/storyteller Lisa Wyzlic and artist/illustrator Rebecca Syracuse is entertaining, charming, funny, and a highly recommended addition to family, daycare center, preschool, elementary school, and community library environmentally themed picture book collections. It should be noted that "Harold the Iceberg Melts Down" is also readily available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99).
Editorial Note #1: Lisa Wyzlic (https://www.lisawyzlicbooks.com) enjoys imagining creatures and objects with Strong Feelings and telling their stories. Like her characters, Lisa often has her own Strong Feelings, though normally not about melting. She lives with her husband, two kids, and two rescue cats. Harold the Iceberg Melts Down is her debut picture book.
Editorial Note #2: Rebecca Syracuse (https://rebeccasyracuse.com) is an illustrator and children's book designer based in Jersey City. She received a BFA in illustration from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA. After graduating, Rebecca got her start designing children's products, but quickly discovered her real love: BOOKS! When she isn't drawing faces on vegetables, you might find her scoping the shelves of her local bookstore, or trying to pet a stray cat. Harold the Iceberg Melts Down is her picture book illustration debut.
Please Note: Illustration(s) are not available due to copyright restrictions.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Midwest Book Review
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/cbw/index.htm
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Harold the Iceberg Melts Down." Children's Bookwatch, Sept. 2023, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A769157586/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=008953f3. Accessed 24 Oct. 2024.
Harold the Iceberg Melts Down (Harold the Iceberg #1)
Lisa Wyzlic, illus. by Rebecca Syracuse.
Macmillan/Feiwel and Friends, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-250-83062-3
A refrigerator denizen's misunderstanding becomes a call to action in this author and illustrator debur, a punny tale of food friends tackling anxiety and climate change. Harold, a head of iceberg lettuce known for his worrywart ways, comes unglued when he watches a documentary about the world's quickly melting icebergs, the image of which matches a crumpled produce sricker on his behind: "/ am an iceberg. See?'' A differenr kind of meltdown ensues as Harold rattles off factoids while becoming increasingly distressed: "Did you know the icebergs are MELTING? At an ALARMING RATE?!" Supportive foodstuffs try to help, but nothing works until a bok choy buddy offers reassurance, clarifying Harold's reality. Newly recharged and srill concerned, Harold recruits his fellow fridge pals in crafting a plan to save "MY COUSINS!"--the other icebergs in crisis. With humor and a light touch, Wyzlic balances brief expository passages with emotional dialogue. Syracuse's digitally rendered anthropomorphic foods feature noodly stick limbs, expressive eyes, and enjoyable edible details, among them a chair made of bread and olives, a buttersrick TV stand, and a hot-sauce mustache. Back matter offers tips for combating climate change. Ages 3-6. Author's agent: Natascha Morris, Tobias Literary. (Mar.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Harold the Iceberg Melts Down (Harold the Iceberg #1)." Publishers Weekly, vol. 270, no. 3, 16 Jan. 2023, p. 74. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A735452351/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=bc174db9. Accessed 24 Oct. 2024.
Wyzlic, Lisa HAROLD THE ICEBERG MELTS DOWN Feiwel & Friends (Children's None) $18.99 3, 21 ISBN: 9781250830623
Lettuce talk about meltdowns.
Harold, a head of iceberg lettuce, is a worrywart. He's learned from a documentary that icebergs are melting. (Harold doesn't understand what he really is: His sticker with the words iceberg lettuce has partially peeled off; he sees only iceberg.) Harold voices his concerns to his sympathetic fridge mates, who suggest ways to cope with his anxiety, but not before he's tried escaping his dire future. Finally, a head of bok choy tells Harold what he really is and that lettuces don't melt; a tomato concedes, however, that real icebergs do. This leads Harold to galvanize his friends into save-the-planet mode. While lively, this story perhaps tries to accomplish too much by attempting to dovetail the reality of one kind of meltdown--that occurring to icebergs because of global warming--into another (that facing children in the form of overwhelming emotions) in a less-than-seamless manner. Additionally, though the narrative includes solutions to both problems, adults will have some explaining to do. Many kids won't know what a documentary is and may also miss the tale's whole humorous punning point if they're unfamiliar with the term iceberg lettuce; many may also be unaware of the melting-iceberg crisis. The stratagems for handling stress are useful, though, and the colorful, cartoonish digital illustrations are energetic and expressive. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Some fun, with worthwhile points raised. It may even get some kids to try lettuce. (Harold's tips to combat climate change; Harold's tips for cooling down) (Picture book. 4-7)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Wyzlic, Lisa: HAROLD THE ICEBERG MELTS DOWN." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Jan. 2023, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A731562313/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=7f891aa0. Accessed 24 Oct. 2024.
Wyzlic, Lisa HAROLD THE ICEBERG IS NOT A SUPER FOOD Feiwel & Friends (Children's None) $18.99 6, 4 ISBN: 9781250877802
An uncertain hero learns to be-leaf in himself.
Harold, the head of iceberg lettuce introduced in Harold the Iceberg Melts Down (2023), is awestruck upon meeting "tall and strong" Kayla, with her "glorious, full leaves" that are "the perfect shade of green." Harold wants to be just like Kayla, who, he believes, is a "SUPER food." How can he measure up? He makes a list of ways to emulate Kayla, but friends who need his help keep interrupting him. Kind Harold always steps up, yet he still sings Kayla's praises, ignoring his own strengths; the more Harold focuses on Kayla, the worse he feels about himself. His foodie friends intervene and point out Harold's own accomplishments. They remind him of the ways Harold's super, too--as a helper! Harold concedes that he helps in small ways, but he wants to do really big things. His pals agree that his goal is doable while praising him for being "BIG-helpful" already. In the end, Harold acknowledges that he should aim to be the best version of himself instead of copying someone else. This is an empowering, reassuring tale about trying hard and being your best YOU. The story is slightly overwrought, though, and takes a while to make its point. The colorful digital illustrations are very lively, as is the creative typography; readers will appreciate Harold and the other witty, wide-eyed, expressive, anthropomorphized foodstuffs.
An upbeat tale with a wonderful message about being one's best self. (Harold's tips for helping your community) (Picture book. 4-7)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Wyzlic, Lisa: HAROLD THE ICEBERG IS NOT A SUPER FOOD." Kirkus Reviews, 15 May 2024, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A793537061/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=fd268b60. Accessed 24 Oct. 2024.