- Picture Books
- Ages 4–8
- Comedy
The Big Cheese
Book 7 of 8 in The Food GroupView the full series
A funny Food Group fable about competitiveness, attention-seeking and learning that winning is not the same as being valued.
- Best for4–8
- FormatPicture
- Length40 pp
- Read aloud~8 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Comedic
Tone
- Funny
- Silly
- Warm
- Heartwarming
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
The Big Cheese is used to being the best, the brightest and the centre of attention. He wins competitions, draws applause and expects everyone to notice. But when a new competitor appears and the Big Cheese does not come out on top, he has to face something unfamiliar: not winning. The story uses exaggerated cheese puns and competition comedy to explore a common child problem: what happens when your confidence depends on being first, loudest or most admired? Jory John's writing keeps the lesson breezy, while Pete Oswald makes the Big Cheese both ridiculous and sympathetic. This is a useful read for children who struggle with losing, comparison, sports days, classroom competitions or sharing the spotlight. It is message-forward, but the humour makes it easy to accept.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 4–8
- Read aloud · 3–8
- Independent · 6–8
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Excellent
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Bedtime
- Reading together
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
4 / 5 · Bedtime-friendly
Sensitive-child
4 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Winning and losing
- Competition
- Humility
- Funny pshe
- Food characters
Avoid if
- Dislikes competition themes
- Wants quiet lyrical books
Particularly good for children who are…
- Reluctant reader
- Making friends
- Low self esteem
- Anger management
In the classroom
How it works in school.
Jory John's hugely popular food-character picture books — funny read-alouds that are PSHE gold for talking about behaviour, feelings and being yourself.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific recognition is not being the best — the Big Cheese used to winning everything, a new competitor showing up, the strange unfamiliar experience of not coming first. The Food Group for a child who's currently struggling with losing.
- Having a nemesis
- Transformation
- Friendship and belonging
Why parents love it
The Jory John picture book on competitiveness and humility — the Big Cheese forced to learn what losing feels like. Useful for sports day, classroom rivalry, any moment a child is mid-everything-must-be-best phase.
- Conversation starter
- Shared humour
- Educational for adult too
- Quick to read
In the series
The Food Group.
8 books · open the series →
About the creators
About the creators.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
When you buy through the links above, we may earn a small commission — it never costs you more, and it never changes the books we choose. How we’re funded →