In the Land of Whim, under the shadow of the Quirk Mountains, lived the peaceful Whimsies—plump furry creatures who loved to garden, and who delighted in all of the fruits of the earth. Nothing pleased them more than green salad and vegetable soup, carrots and apples to munch on. The twins Blossom and Sprout were no different than their fellows, although they did dislike turnips. Through this (ahem) fatal flaw, the Switch Witch saw her opportunity, convincing them to put on her Sweet Tooth necklaces. Soon the twins would only eat sweets, gobbling and gulping them down and refusing all else, until Grandma Whimsie paid a visit, and showed them the decay under the sparkling white exterior of those teeth...

I have long been familiar with the work of author Stephen Cosgrove, whose prolific output stands at around 325 books, not to mention the games, toys and interactive websites he has created. Although I never seemed to pick them up myself, his Serendipity books, which featured magical creatures of all kinds, as well as moral messages, were ubiquitous in my childhood. Gobble and Gulp is one of his six-book series, The Whimsies, and like the Serendipity books, each title is meant to teach a lesson. Specifically, a lesson about some bad habit. Here that bad habit is gluttony, and the addiction to sweets and sugary treats. The negative consequences of Blossom and Sprout's behavior is apparent in a number of areas, from their growing rudeness to their parents to the corruption of their sense of taste, as sugary fare blinds them to the appeal of other foods.

To be honest, I sought this one out because of my interest in witchy picture-books, and my discovery that it featured a witch character—the Switch Witch. Reading the descriptions of the other books in the series, it appears this same character features in all six of the books about the Whimsies, although her role here was brief. In any case, I found this a sweet little tale, despite being alive to its obvious didactic purpose. It is a little text heavy for a picture-book, and the artwork is a little too cute for my taste, although I did (predictably) find the depiction of Switch Witch and her pet dragon, Wizard Lizard, to be interesting. Recommended to those seeking more light-hearted, fictional picture-books about limiting sweet intake and maintaining a healthy diet. ( )