When Cucumber Lost His Cool

With his swaggering walk and chilled-out attitude, Kevin the cucumber oozes confidence everywhere he goes. He even has his own super-cool theme tune.

Whenever his friends need help, he’s always there with some cool advice: when Pea is feeling too shy to welcome her new neighbour, Kevin convinces her to be brave and when Carrot admits she has two left feet, Kevin effortlessly demonstrates his cool moves. Now everyone is feeling really cool! But Kevin’s advice is so good that the other fruit and veg don’t seem to need his help anymore and he feels left out.

Then something strange happens. Kevin starts to feel hot, stressed and jealous – and loses his cool! Now it’s up to Kevin’s friends to see if they can use what they’ve learned to help him "chillax" and be his usual cool self again.

Little ones can find it hard to express and regulate their big feelings. Exploring anxiety and jealousy, this laugh-out-loud story is a super fun way for children to think about emotions – both theirs and others. The rhyming text by Michelle Robinson is full of energy and rhythm – you’ll have Kevin’s song stuck in your head by the end!

From Pepper’s bushy eyebrows to Mustard’s posh moustaches, Tom Knight has brilliantly given all the foody characters their own distinctive look and personality with his zany illustrations.