World Pizza

PreS-Gr 2—During a night of stargazing, Mama spots a wishing star and begins to ask for world peace, but when a sneeze erupts at the end of her wish, she ends up asking for world pizza. What follows is pizza delivery via the sky all around the world. Pizza appears in deserts, on mountains, in cities, and in remote villages. It appears with traditional toppings and with seaweed and chocolate and pickles and whatever else anyone around the globe can dream up. The pizza becomes something everyone has in common and ignites friendships and an exploration of different cultures as neighbors and strangers break bread together. By story's end, world pizza looks a lot like world peace after all. Digital artwork highlights the humor behind the idea of pies falling from the skies, but it aims for some realism in depicting people of different ethnicities, as well as the variety in pizza toppings. The text is at times repetitive. Overall, there's a good balance of humor and heart. Meng leaves readers with some food for thought: What would it take to unite the world?