There’s a new foodie blogger in Berry Bitty City–And her name is Raisin Cane! Berrykin Bloom was planning to book Strawberry Shortcake to cater his event but Raisin convinces him to hold a competitive tasting with “Pie Man’s on Porcupine Peak.” Can Strawberry and her friends overcome the power of online persuasion? The voters will decide!
Writing
One of the brightest problems this book had in the beginning was the awkward introduction of modern technology to the classic franchise. Now, writer Georgia Ball has found a way to showcase the importance of this addition by conveying great lessons about proper use of social media, and how a person needs to handle unwanted and negative attention from it.
After getting a few bad reviews, Strawberry realizes she needs to confront her rival Purple Pieman about it, because she believes the one giving the bad reviews is working with him. The fact she is willing to confront the person she believes is the cause of the harassment is already a good lesson about how to deal with online bullying in real life. The issue only gets better from there, and is full of perfect moments about what to do when someone is being negative to you online.
The back up story about confronting your friends is interesting but may have worked better in a full issue. Writer Kristen Gudsnuk tries to pack in a very heavy message in only four pages. It works, but probably could have done better as an issue’s main story.
Artwork
The art of Amy Mebberson continues to retain the same level of quality it did in previous issues. It works to offer the perfect level of serious and comedic moments which appear in the issue. The art of the backup story by Nicoletta Baldari is charming as well, but offers a much softer art style than the more expressive one in the main story. Still, neither styles seems out of place and both meld great together.
Conclusion
Though some may brush off the title as being too childish, it is still very important to look at how appropriate and valuable series is to younger readers. This book continues to be a great starter series for people hoping to get children into comic books.
