Sweet Pickles and a Safe Little Town

 

For decades, I carried only a hazy memory of a book series I loved as a kid. I could picture the quirky animal characters, but the actual title always slipped away. Anytime I asked about it, people suggested Richard Scarry, but I knew that wasn’t right.

It turns out the series was Sweet Pickles! There were 40 books in total, though I definitely didn’t own them all. The premise was simple but charming: a town inhabited by 26 animals, one for each letter of the alphabet, each defined by a particular trait. Imitating Iguana, for example, was known for copying everyone.

The stories were fun, but honestly, they weren’t the part that stuck with me the most. What I loved was the world the books hinted at. The first page always introduced all the characters, while the back featured a detailed map of the town, showing where each one lived and worked.

I’d spend ages studying that map, imagining what life was like in Sweet Pickles. What adventures were happening just off the page? Who might bump into whom on their way to the store? My play often went far beyond the books themselves as I was busy acting out new adventures in my bedroom or the backyard, fully immersed in this little town.

Looking back, I realize Sweet Pickles was more than just a children’s series for me. It was a safe little town I could escape into when the real world felt a bit overwhelming. Sometimes, what we carry from childhood isn’t the stories themselves, but the spaces they opened up for us to explore.

My deep attachment to that town was an early sign of my AuDHD as I could happily spend hours hyper-focused, playing things out on my own. It soothed me. It sparked my creativity. It helped shape the storyteller I’d eventually become.

What children’s series was your comfort blanket, the one you returned to again and again, not just for the stories, but for the world it created?