TODAY IS MONDAY IN NEW YORK

The edibles of New York City receive a spiritless presentation in this adaptation of a traditional song. A different food item is named for each day of the week, followed by the phrase, “All you lucky children come and eat it up.” Seven days of the week pass as the cut-paper illustrations show more and more kids in the park being served the foods mentioned. While no one would argue that most of the dishes are not New York foods, it would have been easy enough to exchange the relatively universal pizza or Buffalo wings for foods that highlight the diversity of the Gotham palate. As it stands, the foods mentioned are entirely European and Eastern European with little attention paid to the contributions of immigrants from other parts of the globe. The distinctly flat illustrations do little to jazz up the text. Information on the history of the foods mentioned and other New York foods associated with the city (also all European) are listed at the end. (Picture book. 4-8)