BAKE YOU A PIE

Peppy paeans to pie . . . with pix! A CD includes a cute, punny song about pie, as well as an instrumental version (suitable, presumably for karaoke) and a solo acoustic version. The lyrics, printed on page four of the book along with the simple tune, constitute the text, each verse repeated on a two-page spread with accompanying illustration. Ebbeler has fashioned vibrant pictures for each, in acrylic paint and black pencil, and full of cheeky humor. The “eggplant parmesan pie” verse, for example, features a wailing opera diva in a gown the color and shape of the purple vegetable she holds. A tiny crying clown holds onto her long cape, using it as a handkerchief. There are ten pies in all, and each flavor matches a musical genre (“Jazz” has a jelly jam pie and “Blues” Mississippi mud). It barely stands alone without the CD, but it’s bright and catchy. (Picture book. 3-7)