cover image How to Eat Pizza

How to Eat Pizza

Jon Burgerman. Dial, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-7352-2885-6

“The first thing you need to do is choose a slice,” explains the unseen narrator of this culinary how-to spoof, who then admits, “I always pick the biggest!” Removed from the cheesy pie, the googly eyed pizza slice sprouts arms and legs and comments good-naturedly as it is sprinkled with chili flakes (“Ha-ha-ha. Hey, I’m ticklish!”) and topped with a basil leaf (“Cute!”). But its chirpy tone melts away after it realizes what is to come. The fast-talking slice points to its crusty bottom (“No one likes the crust!”) and lists the remaining pieces’ virtues: one knows karate, another is musical, yet another is a perfect isosceles. But none is willing to be eaten, so they band together in an attempt to change the menu, extolling the merits of vegetables (mushrooms, broccoli, peppers, etc.) and fruit (pineapple), a plan that can only backfire, as pizza fans well know. Set against bright backdrops, animated slices by Burgerman (Rhyme Crime) amplify the narrative’s goofy humor, which juggles the characters’ small-font asides and dramatic, large-type exclamations, making for a tangy, chucklesome mix. Ages 3–5. [em](Nov.) [/em]