Don’t Eat Eustace
Out October 14 2025 from HarperCollins
Author-illustrator Lian Cho of Oh, Olive! and Pig Town Party delivers her third hilarious picture book about a bear and the fish, named Eustace, that they're trying to make their lunch. But a dash of diversion, a pinch of luck, and the surprising power of friendship just might save Eustace after all!?!
Today’s Lunch Special: Freshly caught fish.
Bear lives alone in a lighthouse.
Bear mends their clothes, sweeps the floors, and catches their own lunch.
Today's lunch is Eustace.
Eustace would really like to live. (He has a girlfriend after all.)
Will Eustace be released back into the sea? Or will he end up in Bear's stock pot?
Find out in this funny adventure filled with brilliant illustrations and lots of humor.
Awards & Recognition
★ Kids’ Indie Next Pick
★ Booklist's Editors' Choice Picks for 2025
★ NAIBA Book of the Year Finalist
A look inside…
Some nice words:
★ “Cho comically captures emotion… and a final reveal gleefully subverts the harmonious ending with a hilarious page turn.”
— Booklist (starred review)
"A vibrantly illustrated tale of finding friendship through creativity, this book is a strong addition to picture book collections and story hour shelves."
— School Library Journal
★ "Cho will have readers falling hook, line, and sinker for this interspecies buddy comedy.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"This lighthearted story combines elements of big-fish tale with contemporary tongue-in-cheek sensibility."
— Horn Book Magazine
“A foe is tricked into friendship and everyone’s a winner in this fresh and funny tale.”
— Kirkus