PASTA! THESE NAMES ARE FUN TO SAY
by Felice Arena ; illustrated by Beatrice Cerocchi
Passatelli, mostaccioli, and sagnarelli—oh my!
Since the musicality of these words is everything, readers should flip to the back for a guide to pronouncing the proper names of 35 selected varieties of Italian pasta. There they’ll find tagliatelle (tah-lyuh-TELL-lay), casoncelli (caz-un-CHEL-lee), and riccioli (ree-CHOH-lee). In the story itself, the names are arranged so that they rhyme—not an amazing feat in Italian, but amusing and propulsive nonetheless. It’s impossible, of course, to highlight anywhere near the 400-plus examples of pasta here, but some of the most fun shapes have been overlooked. Readers won’t find cavatappi (corkscrews), farfalle (butterflies), or linguine (little tongues). Arena explains that “orecchiette” means “little ears” but doesn’t provide the delightful meanings of the other pastas, such as ditalini (little thimbles) or campanelle (bellflowers). It isn’t always clear which names go with which pastas in the illustrations; the endpapers do shed further light, though not for all the varieties. Portraying smiling, racially diverse kids and a tabby cat, the illustrations are bright, appealing, and inventive, and readers will enjoy shouting out the pasta names, but there’s not much to entice them for rereads.
Attractive and catchy but less than satisfying.
(Picture book. 4-7)