"Hi, Pizza Man!"

by Virginia Walter, Ponder Goembel (Illustrator)

Overview

It all begins with a simple question posed by a patient mother when her impatient toddler shouts, 'I'm hungry!' 'What will you say when the doorbell rings and we open the door?' asks Mom. 'Hi, Pizza Man!' replies the thoughtful child. . . . But what if it's a pizza woman?. . . a pizza kitty?. . . a pizza duck?. . . The book has a wonderfully satisfying roundness that comes full circle when the doorbell finally rings. -The Horn Book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798888180259
Publisher:	Purple House Press
Publication date:	03/01/2023
Pages:	34
Sales rank:	260,905
Product dimensions:	11.00(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.09(d)
Age Range:	2 - 6 Years

Editorial Reviews

It's easy to work up an appetite reading this book, which offers an agreeable way to pass the time before dinner. When Vivian tosses her toys aside to announce, ``I'm hungry!'' her mother reminds her that the pizza man is a-coming, and distracts her by asking how she will greet him. The title holds an obvious answer, but Vivian's mother imagines other possibilities-``What if it's a pizza kitty? Then what will you say?'' This prompts Vivian to welcome a parade of imagined pizza-deliverers with ``Meow meow, pizza kitty!''; ``Woof woof, pizza dog!'' and so on until the doorbell rings. First-time children's author Walter's waiting game grows more entertaining when the animals arrive; it's tempting to say hello with moos, hisses and quacks. Likewise, Goembel's (A Basket Full of White Eggs) mom's-eye views of Vivian appear realistic but slightly awkward, while her lifelike ink-and-acrylic animals, framed by a doorway, are considerably more engaging. The final illustration, of a partly eaten slice of cheese and pepperoni pie, looks particularly authentic-readers' thoughts, like Vivian's, will likely turn from pizza beasts to a pizza feast. Ages 2-4. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

PreS-Gr 1To pass the time while waiting for a pizza delivery, Vivian's mother asks her what she will say when it arrives. That's easy enough: "`Hi, Pizza Man!'" But what if it's a pizza woman? Things get silly as the child's mother suggests ever-more improbable delivery charactersa cat, dog, duck, cow, snake, and dinosaur. Her daughter responds with "`Quack quack, Pizza Duck!'"; "`Roar, Pizza Dinosaur!'"; etc. Readers will be having so much fun that they may feel jarred back to reality and even a bit disappointed to see the most obvious of the options when the doorbell finally rings. However, the story will have wide appeal, from toddlers just learning animals' sounds to beginning readers who will grasp the zaniness of the situation. The realistic art has abundant whimsical details and invites close examination. The pizza woman wears a baseball cap and evening clothes, complete with a mink stole. The cow is truly exotic, with purple markings and a rose in her mouth, and the dinosaur is a thing of beauty, crowned with a feathered pillbox hat. The typography also sparks interest, with a different style and various sizes of lettering used for Vivian's greetings. A nice example of positive parent-child interaction and of the imagination needed to entertain a hungry preschooler, this story has the predictability to make it a great read-aloud.Lisa S. Murphy, formerly at Dauphin County Library System, Harrisburg, PA

School Library Journal