Jon Burgerman

Burgerman's Rhyme Crime won me over, despite being not at all the kind of book I usually like. So, I viewed his latest import, showing a panicked pizza slice in eye-searing color with eager anticipation and was not disappointed.

The story opens with a circle of yellow pizza slices, snoozing under their paper napkin blankets (one is clutching a teddy bear). An unseen narrator invites readers to get started by choosing a slice, add a few toppings, and... wait a minute.

YOU'RE PLANNING TO EAT ME??

The pizza slice goes into an immediate panic, and tries to convince the reader that there are so many other options! Eating pizza is disgusting - what about the crusty bottoms?! The slices next try to stick together and encourage the reader to try some veggies instead, but this backfires since the reader decides to eat.... pizza with FRIENDS! i.e. all those tasty vegetables!

The goofy story ends with a box of nervous doughnuts suggested that maybe a bagel would be better?

Verdict: Goofy and colorful, this appeals to every kid who loves a good "being eaten" story, which is pretty much all of them. Go forth and devour!

ISBN: 9780735228856; Published November 2018 by Dial Books for Young Readers; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library… (más)

British author/artist Jon Burgerman offers his take on the popular "anthropomorphic food item that wants to avoid being eaten" theme in this, his third picture-book. As the unseen main character prepares to eat a slice of pizza - the largest, of course - his prospective dinner tries to get him to change his mind, first mentioning the virtues of the other slices, and then, together with the rest of the pizza, the wonders of veggies. Eventually the hungry character decides they are right - it's best to eat pizza AND veggies!

Having had a mostly indifferent reaction to Splat!, the last Burgerman picture-book I read, I wasn't sure what I would make of How to Eat a Pizza, but I found that I preferred it to that earlier book. The artwork here isn't really to my taste, but I think the use of bright colors and cartoon-like shapes will undoubtedly appeal to many young children. The story itself is amusing, and with its dramatic back-and-forth dialogue, would make for an amusing read-aloud. Recommended to young pizza lovers, and to child reader/listeners who enjoy stories with a silly sense of humor.… (más)

Burgerman is a popular artist who originated in the UK and now lives in the US. This is his second picture book. I had never heard of him.

This turns out to be a very sad thing, because his latest book is hilarious and now I need his first one too, Splat.

A shadowy hand steals across the page and snatches.... Hammy's hat! But it's not just gone - it's replaced with a cat! All through the book a wicked thief is committing rhyme crimes, replacing things with their rhyming equivalent. Cake is replaced with a snake, a house with a mouse, and, hilariously, a smile turns into a crocodile! But when an orange is stolen, the thief is stumped. There's no rhyme for orange! The thief is taken to jail and that's the end of the story - and the rhymes. Or is it?

Burgerman's art reminds me a little of the Little Miss and Mr. Men series. While there are some recognizable animals, most of the characters are sort of blobby and twisty characters. One puffy pink character has a trunk and snout, another looks a little like a blue owl without a beak, and there are several pig-like creatures.Their backgrounds are blazing neon yellow, blue, pink, and green.

Verdict: The broad splotches of color and garish creatures are a little blinding, but pull them farther away from the reader in a storytime and this is perfect. A great book for silly giggles, practicing rhyming, and just having fun! Recommended.

ISBN: 9780735228849; Published 2018 by Dial/Penguin; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library… (más)