A Pizza with Everything on It

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.