Booklist enjoys Princess Pistachio and the Pest

“Summer vacation gets off to a rough start when Mom insists that Pistachio take her little sister Penny to the park. As she pulls Penny along in a wagon, Pistachio lets her mind wander off. Big mistake. Unsupervised, Penny pinches fruit from the grocer’s stand, wades in the park fountain, and climbs over a wall into scary Mrs. Oldtooth’s garden. What could possibly make Pistachio volunteer for babysitting the next day? A little exaggerated for dramatic and comic effect, the story is nonetheless enjoyable, while lively ink-and-watercolor illustrations brighten every page. This early reader book continues the broad theme of sibling relationships that runs through Gay’s work from the Stella and Sam picture books to the Travels with My Family middle-grade series.”