"Pete's a Pizza" by William Steig

"Pete's a Pizza" 

by William Steig

34 pages /  Print / Realistic

Summary: Pete is not having a good day because it is raining and he cannot go out to play. Pete's dad decides to make him feel better by helping Pete use his imagination to keep him entertained. Pete lies on a couch and dad pretends that Pete is pizza dough. After kneading and tickling Pete, dad puts some "pizza ingredients" (household items) on Pete and then pretends to bake him in an imaginary oven. Pete thinks all of this is so fun and forgets about his troubles. In the end, the sun comes out and Pete can finally go outside to play.

Evaluation: This book has already sparked many after-reading extension activities for young readers that involve them pretending to be Pete and his dad (sprinkling fake cheese, pepperoni and tomato sauce over someone). I think this book is a good lesson for children to teach them that our imagination is a great gift and we should use it more often. It also teaches children to take a bad situation and make a good one out of it. Everyone can relate to Pete's woes of not being able to go outside, but we can all learn from his father's idea of using imagination.

Appeal Terms: realistic, easy, leisurely, humorous, heartwarming, gentle, family centered