A Pizza My Heart

PreS-K–If Margaret Wise Brown had deigned to use pizza ingredients instead bunnies to work out her parenting issues (really, Runaway Bunny? It’s a book about stalking, or at the very least, never understanding boundaries), this might be the outcome. “I love you so much,/ where to begin?/ Inside and out . . ./ thick crust or thin.” The rolling pin bats its eyes and says “A-dough-able” at the parent-substitute, a smiling pizza crust, yet to be topped, in the pan. The puns come fast and hard, as a tomato declares its love from head “to-ma-toes,” and yes, “you’re so grate!” really happens, and new readers who sound out words will be on to that one. Spelling confusion aside, the book teaches the very young the layers of pizza, the love of cooking, and how to express themselves. It is really very endearing.