A fun-filled, obvious must for pizza lovers.
A fact-filled introduction to the popular food.
After boldly asserting that pizza is “the world’s favorite food,” the author explains how pizza originated in 1738 in Naples, Italy, where the first pizzeria later opened in 1830. Italian immigrants subsequently transplanted pizza to the United States in the late 19th century. Today, “Pizzas can be round or square, / In different shapes and sizes, / And sometimes what is in or on them, / Is full of big surprises,” with international variations. Norwegians consume the most pizza, per capita; Brazilians and Germans love it too. One of the most famous pizzas, the Margherita, was originally cooked for the queen of Naples in 1889, and “Chef Charlotte,” from a contemporary Naples pizzeria, provides a detailed recipe, including the proper ingredients and helpful tips to create perfect pizza dough. Suggestions for various ways to eat pizza (folded, from the box, knife and fork), record-breaking pizza facts (world’s largest, world’s longest, largest collection of pizza boxes), descriptions of different pizzas from around the world, and unusual pizza deliveries add to this eclectic, entertaining collection of pizza information with an international flavor. Topical spreads are introduced with verse, with prose details captioning colorful, humorous illustrations. These use simple shapes and flat patterns, enhancing the data with step-by-step diagrams of pizza preparation; vignettes featuring pizza fans, history, and events; and close-ups of the subject.
A fun-filled, obvious must for pizza lovers. (Informational picture book. 8-12)Pub Date: June 15, 2021
ISBN: 978-3-96704-705-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little Gestalten
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Though flawed, it brings a good sampling of lore from the past to a new generation of readers.
The combination of Newbery winner Hamilton and the Dillons, two-time Caldecott Medalists, raises high expectations.
It is especially noteworthy that they've combined their talents to present a collection of Black American tales—a folklore awesome in its richness, power and complexity. With all this in mind, we expect to find here nothing less than fire from the mountain. Though there is much to enjoy, and many parts are quite stirring (such as the title story), Hamilton has prepared a sampling of carefully and respectfully retold tales, not a living work of art. A surprisingly facile introduction sets a restrained tone. And her forerunner, the complex figure of Joel Chandler Harris, is unfairly assessed. From reading Hamilton, one would not get the idea that Harris took enormous pains to reproduce the tales as he heard them, even when elements of the stories were incomprehensible to him. The book is organized into four sections: animal tales, fantasy, supernatural and tales of freedom. The final one ("Carrying the Running-Aways: And Other Slave Tales of Freedom") is by far the most effective for the contemporary reader; the best of these stories convey great heroism, beauty and nobility. Less rewarding are the fantasy tales (with the exception of "Wiley, His Mama, and the Hairy Man"), and the supernatural tales (although they frequently entertain, and several would be excellent as read-alouds). The animal tales move the reader the least, and are rather lifeless. Hamilton's approximation of dialect speech is laudable for its readability. The Dillons have lent handsome black-and-white paintings to the work, but they seem posed and static. Still and all, this is a useful collection and a valuable undertaking.
Though flawed, it brings a good sampling of lore from the past to a new generation of readers. (Folktales. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 21, 1985
ISBN: 978-0-394-86925-4
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1985
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
PERSPECTIVES
A critical contribution to discussions of equal access and of systemic racism.
Separate but equal—even primary grade students understand this prejudicial oxymoron.
Separation is never equal. When the Lemon Grove School District’s board of trustees decided to expel every one of the 75 students who were of Mexican American descent in order to establish an all-White student body, the Lemon Grove Neighbor’s Committee—Comité de Vecinos de Lemon Grove—decided to take action. The Mexican consul in San Diego provided lawyers who filed on behalf of 12-year-old Roberto Alvarez in San Diego’s California Superior Court. Exploding the board of trustees’ assertion that the minority students were “backward and deficient,” Roberto himself, in fluent English, defended his position. This was the “first successfully fought school desegregation case in the United States.” On April 16, 1931, the decision was made public: “to immediately admit and receive…Roberto Alvarez, and all other pupils of Mexican parentage…without separation or segregation.” Brimner’s straightforward narrative follows Roberto Alvarez from his return to school after Christmas vacation only to be told he was no longer welcome to the day he was able to receive the same education as the White students. The substantial author’s note places this case in context with other desegregation cases in the U.S.—particularly in California. Gonzalez’s colorful and detailed mural-esque illustrations make the historical flavor of the times accessible.
A critical contribution to discussions of equal access and of systemic racism. (photos, sources, source notes) (Informational picture book. 8-11)Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-68437-195-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Calkins Creek/Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
PERSPECTIVES
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