TONY AND THE PIZZA CHAMPIONS

While pizza and all its toppings may prove a tasty topic for a young audience, the flat plot and heavy message herein will leave few readers craving a second helping. Loosely based on a true story, Gemignani describes his team’s work in an international pizza-throwing competition. In tall-tale fashion, Tossing Tony joins his fellow teammates in his extra-large Pizzamobile to prepare for the world championships. Each member has a special skill: Strong Sean tosses his enormous dough on his front lawn while Silly Siler balances pizza while riding his unicycle, and so on. Predictably, the Americans’ pizza-pyramid wins accolades during the international event, though contrived dialogue results in a stunted presentation. “Teamwork,” they say to themselves. “It’s all about teamwork.” Interesting factlets examine pizza’s regional and international differences, though they do little to describe the competition’s specifics. Trueman’s bright mixed-media cartoons evoke the rich flavors of their subject; fiery reds and golden tans energize the colorful art. Depth and texture enhance the angular characters, but overall, this dry narrative lacks spice. (resources, recipes) (Picture book. 5-8)