Ages 5-8. This might be the kind of comic nightmare to expect after reading "The Gingerbread Man" on a full stomach. The last pickle in the jar at Adolph's Deli does not want to be eaten. It escapes and dashes through city streets, pursued by an ever-growing posse of food items that cry, "Stop that pickle!" Then, colliding with a hungry little boy, the pickle faces his moment of destiny. Luckily, the boy eats the pickle's pursuers and, unlike his less fortunate Gingerbread cousin, the devilish dill is once again on the lam. The infectious refrain, deadpan humor ("Everyone knows that a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is not the fastest sandwich in the world, but it does have great endurance"), and outlandish paintings of anthropomorphized sandwiches, pretzels, and almonds will appeal to youngsters with a taste for the offbeat. Not essential, but an entertaining selection. Elizabeth Bush.