The Adventures of Strawberryhead and Gingerbread: To the Lake We Go! by KF and KM Wheatie
In the magical forest of S’moresville, a cozy candy cottage sits in the limbs of a tall tree. It’s the home of the titular characters in KF and KM Wheatie’s The Adventures of Strawberryhead and Gingerbread: To the Lake We Go! (Strawberryhead and Gingerbread Press). Older sister Strawberryhead and younger brother Gingerbread love their lives in the candy home. The siblings each have their own superabilities because of their autism, and the cottage is the perfect place to hone their talents. Strawberryhead plays the harp on the porch and lets the sound reverberate through the forest, while Gingerbread decorates the cottage’s walls with his maps.
Lately, though, Strawberryhead’s felt a bit lonely. She wants to have more friends than just her brother and their Labrador retriever Solomon. That’s when Gingerbread thinks of a plan — what if they went to the nearby lake and met some new friends there?
Sure enough, there are plenty of kids at the lake. And as it turns out, it doesn’t take much for the fellow children to introduce themselves. When Gingerbread uses another ability of his — his power to teleport food at will! — the lake is soon one big picnic party. At the end of the day, Strawberryhead, Gingerbread and Solomon return to their treehouse, proud of themselves and excited about their new friendships.
Are You up to the Challenge? (The Answer Is Yes!)
It’s a story about a talking strawberry, a gingerbread boy and magical powers — and yet, even with its fantastical elements, The Adventures of Strawberryhead and Gingerbread: To the Lake We Go! is all-too-relatable to young readers. Making new friends is easier said than done, especially neurodivergent children, in particular can have a hard time forming friendships. The authors recognize this hardship in their dedication: “[t]o all children who have ever felt lonely.”
While recognizing the challenges kids face in forming new friendships, the book encourages them to try regardless. Working up the courage to put oneself out there is often the hardest part — and, like Strawberryhead and Gingerbread, kids may find they have even more success than they anticipated.
Along with its reassurances about socializing, To the Lake We Go portrays the autistic main characters in a positive light. The narrative never presents Gingerbread and Strawberryhead’s autism as a problem to solve or a hurdle to overcome. Instead, it’s something that adds to the siblings’ lives. They enjoy the special interests that stem from their neurodiversity and the unique experiences these superabilities give them.
Depicted as a strawberry and a gingerbread person, the two siblings are also visually different from the human kids at the lake. But that doesn’t stand in their way as they make new friends with ease. To the Lake We Go is a story full of encouragement to young readers — that even in cases when we’re different from those around us, there will be those whose minds and hearts are open to making new friends. Children will find comfort in Strawberryhead and Gingerbread’s story, learning how with courage and kindness (and possibly, some chicken tenders to share), new friendships are just around the corner.
