Brains are food, not friends. Well, Brian the Brain is a friend to Zeb the Zombie. Which would be okay, if Zeb’s family didn’t farm brains for food (themselves and sell at the local market). But how could anyone in their right mind eat Brian? He’s the pinkest, squishy, cutest brain ever! And this starts Zeb and Brian’s journey in Zombie and Brain Are Friends by Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic and illustrated by Laan Cham.
Due early August 2025, I had the pleasure of reading this new picture book via an online reader copy. The “switch” of a zombie as a farmer, and the brain as the pet is silly but of course, relatable. I am sure more than one farmer/child stopped to think about eating a little old clucker, oinker or baa-baa. What makes things fun and new is the fact of how Zeb takes care of his pet. While you play fetch with your dog, you give word puzzles to this brain. You will do other things that you do with all pets (keep clean) but you might not have to watch out for your dad making a midnight snack out of your pet! This misunderstanding is funny and all the goodness is shown within simpler, but not simplistic, overly colorful illustrations that pop off the page as they are bold and bubbly.
While maybe not destined to become a classic, it is going to be one of those fun books that your children will fondly remember and ask, “Do you remember that book about the zombie and the brain you read to me every night?” 