Unsettling Salad!
Table of Contents
About The Book
From the team behind the New York Times bestselling and Caldecott Medal–winning Creepy Carrots! and its sequels comes the second entry in a spin-off chapter book series in which Jasper Rabbit tells the story of a badger who discovers broccoli can bite back!
Jasper the Rabbit is back! A little older and wiser, he collects creepy stories to share as cautionary tales. If you’re ready for some chills and chuckles alike, tune in as Jasper weaves the yarn of Thadeus Badger and the sticky situation he found himself in.
Now, Thadeus is a typical badger. He and his best friend, Oliver Possum, love burgers as much as they dislike exercise. And they hate eating veggies even more. But when they make a deal with Oliver’s parents to eat an entire salad…well let’s just say the chompers might soon become the chomped. This is a creepy tale after all and even the healthiest things can turn on you.
Join Jasper and Thadeus in this second Creepy Tale chapter book and learn from Thadeus’s mistakes before it’s too late!
Excerpt
The road to this place is paved with words and pages, not concrete and asphalt.
A guide is required to enter. A fuzzy long-eared companion who, through long experience, has learned to navigate these creepy supernatural byways.
And there is a price for admission. What is that fee? you ask. You must surrender yourself completely to imagination. To goofiness. And to the unknown.
Have you surrendered? If so, then your journey begins here.
Imagine, if you can, the world of long ago.
It is an ancient world ruled by fear and folklore. A world where every mystery of the universe is explained by guesswork and superstition.
What causes the full moon? Easy. An enormous rabbit in the sky makes a huge wheel of cheese, once every month. Mystery explained.
Why are vegetables healthy? A magic fox goes around at night filling all vegetables with goody-juice. Obviously.
What makes scary noises in the darkness of the night? Monsters. Plain and simple.
Fast-forward to the world of today. It is a modern world of logic and science. In this modern world lives a modern reader.
You.
And a modern badger.
THADDEUS BADGER.
To a modern reader like you and a modern badger like Thaddeus, the ancient ways seem silly. Rational thought explains the mysteries in his life.
Why does the moon go from empty to full? Rotation. And orbit. And other explainable stuff.
Why do vegetables make you healthy? Science. There is no magic fox. And goody-juice is the stuff of myth.
What makes the noises that go bump in the night? Not monsters, that’s for sure. Our great and vast knowledge explains the boogeyman away.
And yet even in this age of logic, despite our vast understanding of the ways of the world… some mysteries remain.
Modern badgers like Thaddeus can pretend the mysteries aren’t there. They can squash the unknown with sound scientific arguments. But some mysteries won’t be explained away. They remain, lurking just on the edge of vision. Hiding in the dark. Hungrily lingering in the shadows, just waiting to pull a modern badger…
… into a
CREEPY TALE.
About The Illustrator
Peter Brown is the author and illustrator of many bestselling children’s books, including Children Make Terrible Pets, Mr. Tiger Goes Wild, and The Curious Garden. He is also the author of the bestselling middle grade Wild Robot series. He is the recipient of a Caldecott Honor for Creepy Carrots!, two E.B. White Read Aloud Awards, a New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book Award, and a Children’s Choice Book Award for Illustrator of the Year. Peter’s website is PeterBrownStudio.com.
Product Details
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (February 3, 2026)
- Length: 96 pages
- ISBN13: 9781665961110
- Ages: 6 - 9
Raves and Reviews
"This thriller should delight young readers with an appetite for a goofy fright."
– -Booklist Online Exclusive, 12/16/2025
"This spooky story is just right for readers in elementary school who enjoy mystery and humor."
– -School Library Journal, 1/1/2026
"Disconcerting and possibly deadly dealings are afoot; certain to charm younger fans of the macabre."
– -Kirkus, December 1,2025
Awards and Honors
- Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
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Book Cover Image (jpg): Unsettling Salad!
Paper Over Board 9781665961110
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Author Photo (jpg): Aaron Reynolds Photo by Suzanne Plunkett(0.1 MB)
Any use of an author photo must include its respective photo credit







