When Grandma announces she is going to Greenland for a year-long visit, Joey’s family plans a surprise going-away party for her. Joey and his little brother, Alfie, make presents, and Joey helps Mom bake Grandma’s favourite dessert: chocolate pecan pie. All goes well at the party until Mom asks Joey to get the pies. In the privacy of the kitchen, the pies slide off the tray and onto the floor. “Pie go bye-bye!” says Alfie. Dismayed but undaunted, Joey scoops the pie into a bowl, buries it in whipped cream, and presents it as a Bye-Bye Pie, explaining to Grandma, “Alfie and I made it just for you.” The dessert is a hit, and everyone asks for the secret recipe.

The young protagonist in this wonderful story is able to see through the anguish of shattered expectations to the creative possibilities beyond. Joey fashions success out of disaster because of his imaginative approach to life and his genuine love for his warm and supportive family. Ruth Ohi’s superb illustrations complement the text perfectly, adding many extra touches of humour. A mischievous cat, a turtle, and a guinea pig wander through the pictures, consolidating the readers’ sense of this family’s relaxed approach to life. Most endearing is Alfie, who progressively sheds shoes, socks, and clothing during the party scenes, scrubs at the spilled pie with his discarded vest, and is by the end completely covered with chocolate stains. The final delight is the recipe for Bye-Bye Pie: make or buy a chocolate pecan pie and “let the pie go splat in a mixing bowl”!