Book fair today!

The Books

Funny, warm read-aloud chapter books for ages 5 to 9, about big feelings, good friends, and one very small guinea pig.

Book 1 cover: Pickle's First Day of School, by Blake Dietz. Blake kneels in a classroom doorway reaching toward Pickle the guinea pig in her pink tutu.
Book 1 · Out now

Pickle's First Day of School

Sometimes the smallest one makes the biggest entrance.

It's Pickle's first day as the class pet in Room P301, and everything is a lot: too loud, too bright, too many hands. Carrots are stolen. Glitter is spilled. And one small guinea pig discovers that being exactly herself is exactly enough.

Buy Book 1 on Amazon
Book 2 cover: Pickle and the Picture Day Disaster, by Blake Dietz. Pickle leaps off a photo stool mid-chaos while Blake reaches out, a camera and a strawberry nearby.
Book 2 · Coming very soon

Pickle and the Picture Day Disaster

Sit still. Smile. Look perfect. What could go wrong?

Picture Day comes to Room P301, and Pickle is supposed to hold still and look her very best. But there's a strawberry. And a camera. And a guinea pig who has never held still in her life. The class photo will not be forgotten.

Twirling onto Amazon soon!
Book 3 · Not written yet!

Pickle's Next Adventure

Where will Pickle twirl next?

Nobody knows yet, not even Pickle. But rumor around Room P301 says a field trip might be coming, and small guinea pigs in tutus are famously bad at staying in their carriers. Check back soon!

Peek inside Book 1

Pickle diving headfirst into a bin of carrots Pickle running full-speed zoomies around the classroom Pickle mid-splash in the cafeteria salad bar Pickle staring down a jar of pink glitter Pickle covered head to toe in sparkly glitter Pickle facing a hallway of too many doors

Sneak peek at Book 2

Mrs. Wren announcing Picture Day to an excited Room P301 Blake at her desk with a plan while Brody grins nearby Brody proudly showing off his big Picture Day ideas Picture Day arrives and the classroom is buzzing Brody with wildly gelled-up hair from his emergency kit Waffles the therapy dog arriving to help keep things calm

Room P301 class photos

Meet the Class

The friends of Room P301, Mrs. Wren's third-grade class.

Pickle, a small white guinea pig with a brown patch over her left eye, in her pink tutu

Pickle

the star

Shy but brave, and always wearing her sparkly pink tutu. Loves strawberries, glitter, and dandelions. Does not love loud noises. Famous for THE TWIRL.

Blake, a girl with two long braids and bright pink glasses, smiling

Blake

the kindred spirit

Read a whole book about guinea pigs before Pickle even arrived. Gentle, prepared, and quietly brave. She and Pickle match on the inside.

Brody, a boy in a green hoodie with messy brown hair, giving a thumbs up

Brody

the big ideas guy

Loud, funny, and full of plans that mostly go sideways. Every book, his hair meets a brand-new disaster. Now proudly reformed as Cage Captain.

Emma, a quiet girl in a purple shirt holding her sketchbook and a pink pencil

Emma

the quiet artist

Speaks rarely, notices everything. Her sketchbook goes everywhere she goes, and her drawings see what cameras miss.

Waffles, a calm golden retriever therapy dog wearing his vest

Waffles

the gentle giant

The school's therapy dog. Big, golden, and endlessly patient. When something good happens, he wags his tail once. Just once.

Mrs. Wren, a warm teacher in a sunshine-yellow sweater and glasses

Mrs. Wren

the teacher

Warm, patient, and always in her sunshine-yellow sweater. Keeps Room P301 (mostly) calm, even with a guinea pig on the loose.

Drawn by us

Pickle's Art Wall

Drawings by readers like you! These first ones are by author Blake, her brother Brody, and their dad — just markers and imagination.

starring Pickle · from the back of Book 1

A marker drawing of Pickle in a witch hat and green cape with a tiny pumpkin bucket
Trick-or-treat Pickle
A marker drawing of Pickle in a party hat surrounded by hearts
Party Pickle
A blue pen drawing of Pickle with a red bandana zooming over the grass
Zoomies Pickle
A marker drawing of Pickle with her patch, standing in a meadow
Classic Pickle
A marker drawing of Pickle wearing a red bandana on the grass
Cowgirl Pickle
A marker drawing of Pickle in yellow-checked overalls
Farmer Pickle

starring Waffles · from the back of Book 2

A green marker drawing of Waffles the dog
by Blake
A pencil drawing of Waffles lying on his back like Snoopy
by Brody
A colorful blue crayon drawing of Waffles the dog
by Dad
A blue pen drawing of Waffles as a mermaid wearing a crown underwater
Mermaid Waffles, by Blake
A drawing of Waffles in his purple vest saying roof roof
by Brody
A crayon drawing of Waffles in his purple vest with stars and hearts
by Dad

Want YOUR drawing on the wall?

Draw Pickle, Waffles, or both! Give Pickle her brown patch (left eye!) and pink tutu, or Waffles his floppy ears and vest. Need help getting started? Print the step-by-step drawing sheets for either one. Then ask a grown-up to snap a photo and email it to us. We'd love to hang it up.

Grown-ups: email a drawing

By sending a drawing, you're letting us share it here with a first name only.

Meet the author

Written by a real kid

Blake is 9 years old, and Pickle is all her idea. She loves reading, drawing, and dreaming up funny adventures, and she published her very first book when she was 7. Pickle and the Picture Day Disaster is her second Pickle story, with more already twirling around in her head.

Every drawing of Pickle up on the wall started the same way hers did: a kid, some markers, and a big imagination.

Did Pickle make you smile?

Reviews from grown-ups are how other families find small books like ours. Even one sentence helps Pickle twirl into another classroom.

Leave an Amazon review