PIZZA DAY

In a summertime parallel to Iwai’s warmhearted Soup Day (2010), while mother is at work, a father and child spend the day making pizza using homegrown vegetables and homemade dough.

As mother leaves for the day, the young narrator announces “Today is pizza day.” Caesar, a Bernese mountain dog puppy, and the child will help Daddy in the garden to harvest ripe tomatoes, carrots, onions, peppers, and basil from their spring planting. Each step in the process is explained, from washing and cutting vegetables, through making dough and letting it rise, creating a sauce, and finally to assembling the pizza for baking. This outing highlights the father-child relationship, as the day unfolds with lots of outdoor playtime while waiting for the dough to rise, the sauce to simmer, and the final product to bake. Acrylics, collage, and digital art place red ripe tomatoes and other garden favorites in bold colors against verdant backyard scenes. From start to finish, this is a satisfying overview of one model of where and how food is acquired and created, from garden to table to the first delicious cheesy bite. More importantly, the affection and parent-child companionship are underscored as work and play culminate in a picnic backyard supper with mother’s freshly made salad to accompany the pizza. The father has olive skin and black hair, while mother and child have fair skin and blonde and red hair, respectively, suggesting a multiracial family. A detailed recipe follows.

Yummy! (Picture book. 4-7)