ABC Pasta: An Entertaining Alphabet

by Juana Medina

Overview

A is for angel hair acrobat
M is for Macaroni the Magician
and T is for tortellini trapeze artist.

It's an ABC circus that's good enough to eat!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101999806
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	02/07/2017
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	13 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	3 Months to 3 Years

About the Author

Juana Medina ate a LOT of pasta while making this book! She grew up in Colombia and now lives and works in Washington, D.C. She is the illustrator of Smick! by Doreen Cronin, and is the author/illustrator of Juana and Lucas and 1 Big Salad: A Delicious Counting Book. Please visit her and her work at juanamedina.com.

Editorial Reviews

01/09/2017
In an alphabetical companion to 1 Big Salad, Medina combines photographs of pasta, cheeses, and herbs with scribbly digital drawing to create a spirited cast of circus performers. Medina introduces the performers using tongue-twisting alliterative phrases—“Pecorino and Parmigiano, plate spinners,” for instance—and makes playful use of varying shapes of pasta: twisting gemelli forms the bodies of two gymnasts, and nests of thin pastas often (perhaps too often) serve as the performers’ hair. Vocabulary-wise, it’s a mouthful, from “campanelle clowns” to a “vermicelli vanishing act,” and a cacio e pepe recipe awaits hungry readers. Up to age 3. Agent: Gillian MacKenzie, Gillian MacKenzie Agency. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

Reviews of ABC Pasta:

* "A never-ending pasta bowl of fun."—Booklist, starred review

* "A mouth-watering mix of performers juggle, soar, and cavort their way through the alphabet."—SLJ, starred review

"A toothsome way to have fun."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

★ 12/01/2016
PreS-Gr 1—Medina follows up her delectable counting book, 1 Big Salad, with a circus-themed look at the ABCs. A mouth-watering mix of performers juggle, soar, and cavort their way through the alphabet. Each letter is accompanied by a zippy alliterative phrase ("basil balancing ballerinas," "fettucine fire-eaters") and a whimsical illustration that incorporates a photo of a different type of pasta-related food. The artist makes inspired use of her edible medium: pieces of bell-like campanelle transform into clown hats; twisting strands of gemelli comprise the lithe, contorting bodies of the gymnasts; and a heap of vermicelli becomes a magician's shock of hair. Featuring thick black lines and splashes of color, the digitally created visuals look as though they were sketched with a Sharpie pen; lively and witty, they perfectly complement the clever wordplay of the text. There's plenty of white space here, resulting in a clean, elegant design. Medina is clearly in her element; each page reflects her humor, creativity, and passion for food. Appended is a recipe for cacio e pepe. VERDICT Children and adults alike will savor this dazzling addition, and the possibilities for programming ideas are endless. A must-have, especially for those seeking to spice up their concept book collections.—Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal

School Library Journal

2016-10-19
Get your forks ready—this salute to pasta via the ABCs is truly entertaining, as the subtitle states.Photographs of real pasta of many varieties are overlaid on loosely drawn digital drawings against white space to lend form and figure to circus performers A to Z. The cover image of a ringmaster with a rigatoni body sets up the conceit, and the fun is on. A stands for "angel hair acrobats": four figures with angel-hair nests for faces and leotards with red, green, blue, or yellow stripes. C is for "campanelle clowns" wearing silly pasta hats. F is for "fettuccine fire-eaters," with the pasta representing the fire. The occasional nonpasta item harmonizes nicely, as with the "herb hoops" a couple of acrobats use as props and the "plate spinners" named "Pecorino and Parmigiano." Medina introduces other proper names too, as in "quick Quentin quadrucci" and "x-traordinary Xavier the xylophonist." Some of the elements are quite exotic, such as the "nets" made of "nero di seppia" that catch the trapeze artists. The endpapers are small drawings of the various circus performers. Some require that readers look closely, as with the strands of "spaghetti" that act as bleachers for the "spectators." All letters are presented clearly in both upper- and lowercase. Younger kids are not likely to recognize many of the lesser-known types of pasta, but what a toothsome way to have fun with them. (Picture book. 5-10)

Kirkus Reviews