ABOUT ARE YOU EATING CANDY WITHOUT ME?

“A book as sweet as the candy that fills its pages.” – Kirkus Reviews

In this delightfully illustrated picture book, readers explore the original FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) as four children imagine what wild, zany, and impossible adventures the adults in their lives must surely get up to when they are not with them.

Four different children from three different families ponder what the adults in their lives do during the day. Are they jumping on trampolines? Are they eating cake and ice cream while riding birthday ponies? Are they eating candy with other adults? After a series of hilariously illustrated and wildly imaginative scenarios, readers learn an important lesson: The adults who love them think about them constantly and are most definitely, certainly, ABSOLUTELY . . . not eating candy without them. Or are they?

REVIEWS:

“If you’re looking for a good time, you can’t do much better than this adorable and hilarious picture book about children wondering what exactly their parents get up to when the kids aren’t around. Do they jump on trampolines and play with ponies? Do they eat cake and ice cream? This is bursting with playful, colorful illustrations and is a sweet and amusing read.” - Book Riot

"If you kid is in stitches over Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus: Read Are You Eating Candy Without Me? All the wackiness of the pigeon books, but you kid will root for characters who are certain that grown-ups are having fun without them, not against a greedy bird." - Parents Mag

“In this whimsical flight of fancy, four children—diverse in racial presentation and family type—seek answers to questions of their own. The children’s initial questions revolve around how the adults behave at home and work when the children are not present. They ask: “What do you do without me?” and “Do all the rules still apply when I’m not home?” and “Do you tell other people what to do?”—a question hilariously paired with an image of one child’s mom telling a man not to pick his nose. The next round of questions express concern that the grown-ups are having childlike fun without them, including the obvious query, “Do you go to fancy parties with ice cream, cake, and ponies?” This ultimately leads to the most important question of all: “ARE YOU EATING CANDY WITHOUT ME?!?!?” The playful illustrations are bright and appropriately candy-colored. They vary among busy but never overwhelming full-bleed, double-page spreads and large comic-book–like panels incorporating images, text, and speech bubbles. The font is large, which makes it excellent for trailing with a finger for a read-along. Inviting both conversation and giggles, this tale will work well as a lap read or bedtime book. A book as sweet as the candy that fills its pages.” - Kirkus

“Most children have wondered it at some point: what on earth do grownups do when they’re not around? “Do all the rules still apply when I’m not home?” ask the kid narrators of this inquisitive picture book. Are adults really eating their veggies, and being kind, and staying focused—or are they partying with cake and ice cream, climbing every tree, jumping on trampolines, and, most importantly, eating candy without any youngsters to claim a share? The book eventually lands on the very kid-centric premise that adults spend most of their time worrying about the little ones in their lives, but there’s a whole lot of playful absurdity (and maybe a bit of kid and adult wishful thinking) that precedes it. The digital art recalls LeUyen Pham’s work in its energetic movement and saturated tones; the palette is, surprise, rife with candy-colored hues, but Bruijn softens and varies the colors, keeping the contrasts gentle. The book becomes particularly funny when it tips into full fantasy, wondering if Mom and Dad are swimming in chocolate fountains or if an elderly caretaker is swinging on vines made of licorice. Grownups might give a few sheepish smiles, while kids will giggle and, with the oodles of sweets offered up, ask for a sugary snack of their own.” - BCCB

"...broad views of the adults having a high old time alternate with smaller, more intimate scenes of the diverse cast members in their varied domestic situations. And indeed, the collective narrator finally concludes, grown-ups are so focused on their children that they would never think of such shenanigans: “RIGHT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!” Of course not. Young audiences aren’t the only ones that will find this fact-finding probe droll." - Booklist

"This additional purchase is a lighthearted look at what parents might be doing when the kids are away—and yes, they’re probably eating the candy." - SLJ

“Curious children have a question for their caregivers—what do they do when the kids are away? In a barrage of humorous and telling questions, the children set out to find the answer. Beginning more rationally, the children ask questions like “Do all the rules apply when I’m not home?” The advancing questions turn increasingly creative and funny—“Do you go to fancy parties with ice cream, cake, and ponies?”—before uttering the climax of their questions: “Are you eating candy without me!?!?” The children trustingly answer for the parents, stating their parents surely just spend all day thinking of their child . . . “Right?!?!?” Bruijn’s vibrant, playful, and sweet illustrations exude joy and include a lovely touch of diversity, both in character ethnicity and caretaker age. The illustrations build on Malesevic’s portrayal of wonderfully imagined scenarios from the children, showcasing the power of a child’s imagination along with their interests (candy, playing dress up, candy, jumping on trampolines, and candy). While the story doesn’t have one central laugh-out-loud moment, the children’s imaginative questions and the hilarious details in the illustrations (a mom chowing down on a giant carrot, grandma telling the plants to be kind to others and swinging on a licorice vine, candy and ice cream costumes, and gumdrops perfectly stacked in a tower on a father’s knee) make this a delightful read for candy lovers and neutralists alike! This imaginative story is a compilation of children’s creative questions, delicious moments of humor, and loads of sweet candy.” - Bookroo