A Pizza with Everything on It

What do pizzas and cosmology have in common? A lot, according to this appealing treatise by Scheele (We Put a Man on the Moon, for adults) and Pizza (Dream Machine). Dad, the pale-skinned owner-chef of Papa Za's, has agreed to make his peach-skinned kid, who narrates, "a pizza with everything on it." But the child isn't satisfied with the usual ingredients, and as Dad becomes an avid co-conspirator, gouache, pencil, and digital collage art plays along, mixing the stylings of kids' artwork with the giddy, gravity-defying excess of vintage underground comics. Soon the pizza toppings include not only ice cream cones and an entire turkey, but school supplies, the White House, a particle accelerator, a wheelbarrow full of penguins, and more. A calamitous, voracious pizza black hole results--"as black as burnt pizza crust," the protagonist notes, as two sets of eyes peer out of the vortex--but a "pizza big bang" ("BOOM!") reboots the universe and returns the duo back home, sort of. It's catnip for pizza's many fans, and something more: a joyful tribute to a parent and child who are two peas in a pod within a wide universe of families and pizzas. Ages 5-8. Author's agent: Erica Rand Silverman, Stimola Literary Studio. Illustrator's agent: Katherine Latshaw and John Cusick, Folio Literary. (Apr.)

K-Gr 2--A seemingly innocent request for a "pizza with everything on it" turns into an adventure that tests the limits of taste and space time for the owner of a pizza shop and his child, who narrates. At first the duo, both white, adds typical ingredients to their pie like cheese, pepperoni, and sausage. Unsatisfied with the basics, the child insists that they use everything. Dad begins adding unconventional foods to top the pizza: pickles, an ice cream cone, and an entire turkey. Still, the child demands everything and the indulgent father complies with increasingly ridiculous toppings from a blender to the White House. This culinary calamity cannot sustain itself and transforms into a pizza black hole. The innovative chefs are pulled through a vortex in which everything is made of pizza, but happily land back into their shop albeit with a new cheesy landscape. Even as the situation careens out of control, the pair face the unknown together. The book is lighthearted in tone, while expertly depicting the the bond between father and child. The bulbous, cartoony illustrations complement the zany plot. White space and muted colors are effectively employed at the story's mundane start. Vast spreads and deep, saturated hues strike a vibrant contrast in the fantastical outer space scenes. VERDICT Deliciously absurd, serve this tale to readers looking for fun and hilarity.--Sophie Kenney, Aurora P.L., IL