- Picture Books
- Ages 4–8
- Comedy
The Humble Pie
Book 8 of 8 in The Food GroupView the full series
A recent Food Group entry about a shy pie learning that humility does not mean disappearing.
- Best for4–8
- FormatPicture
- Length40 pp
- Read aloud~8 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Comedic
Tone
- Funny
- Warm
- Heartwarming
- Silly
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
The Humble Pie is happy to let others take the spotlight. That can be kind and generous, but when he is paired with his confident friend Jake the Cake for a school project, he starts to realise that staying in the shadows is not always sweet. This eighth core Food Group picture book explores a slightly different emotional angle from The Big Cheese: where that book is about being too hungry for attention, this one is about hiding from it. Jory John's Food Group formula remains clear and funny, with Pete Oswald's bright food-character world making the lesson visually accessible. The book is particularly useful for children who are shy, easily overshadowed, reluctant to share ideas or unsure that their voice matters. Because it is recent, taxonomy may benefit from review after more long-form reader feedback appears.
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
5 / 5 · Bedtime-friendly
Sensitive-child
4 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Shyness
- Speaking up
- Confidence
- Funny pshe
- Food characters
Avoid if
- Avoid recent until reviewed
- Wants action plot
- Prefers non message books
Particularly good for children who are…
- Low self esteem
- Reluctant reader
- Making friends
- Anxiety and worry
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 weight is the school project — the Humble Pie happy to let others shine, paired with the confident Jake the Cake, slowly realising that staying in the shadows isn't always sweet. The Food Group on the shy kid who's started disappearing.
- Friendship and belonging
- Making a difference
- The underdog winning
- Transformation
Why parents love it
The eighth Food Group — emotional opposite to The Big Cheese, on hiding-from-attention rather than chasing it. Pete Oswald's food-character world doing the visual lesson. Useful for the shy or easily-overshadowed child unsure their voice matters.
- 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.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
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