Mr. Steig introduces a game guaranteed to produce a good mood. On a rainy day, title character Pete flops down on the couch in an attitude of despair. His father notices, and 'he thinks it might cheer Pete up to be made into a pizza.' Pete allows himself to be carried into the kitchen, where he is kneaded and tossed like dough. 'Next, some oil is generously applied. (It's really water.)... And then some tomatoes. (They're really checkers.)' Pizza-Pete bakes on the couch, (a.k.a. the pizza oven), but when it's time to cut slices (with a karate-chop gesture), 'the pizza runs away and the pizza-maker chases him.' Steig evidently has played pizza before. He substitutes talcum powder for flour and paper scraps for mozzarella; he notes that pizzas struggle when tickled. The text resembles a set of directions, with each step wryly presented as a concise sentence and plainly printed in sans serif capital letters. In keeping with his story's simplicity, Steig creates compact line drawings that are detailed with wild watercolor patterns but symmetrically placed in a spacious white background. The amiable quality of Steig's easy pizza recipe will amuse chef and entree alike. (PW best book of 1998)
PreS-Gr 3-When Pete is in an especially bad mood because it is raining and he can't play ball with his friends, his father decides that it might cheer his son up "to be made into a pizza." The boy is placed on the kitchen table where he is kneaded, tossed, and covered with various toppings including oil (water), tomatoes (checkers), and cheese (pieces of paper). His mother comments that she doesn't like tomatoes, eliciting some giggles from Pete. He is then placed in the oven (the couch) and eventually returned to the table to be sliced. At this juncture, he runs away and is pursued by his father who captures and hugs him. By now the sun is shining and Pete goes outside to look for his friends. The interplay between father and son is both entertaining and endearing. The man says, after tickling Pete, "Pizzas are not supposed to laugh!" and Pete responds, "Pizza-makers are not supposed to tickle their pizzas!" Steig's spare line drawings and zany watercolor paintings are centered against a large white background. The wry text is printed in all capital letters, making it look almost like a recipe. From its tongue-tantalizing title to its understated but delightful ending, Pete's a Pizza is a tour de force.-Tom S. Hurlburt, La Crosse Public Library, WI
. . .Pete's a Pizza must be added to the strategic bedside shelf of parenting advice. -- The New York Times Book Review
Young Pete, a soulmate of the formidable sulker Spinky, moodily contemplates a rain-drenched landscape when his understanding father decides to cheer him up by transforming him into a pizza. The recipe: plenty of kneading, stretching, twirling, and decorating with delicacies such as cheese (in reality pieces of paper) and tomatoes (checkers), plus tickling and obviously lots of love. Result: one happy small boy and a great book to share with would-be pizzas of all ages. As always, the illustrations develop characters and situations with telling economy. The small, square format is a departure for Steig, with a distinctive upper-case, sans serif typeface that somehow -- and appropriately -- suggests instructions to a game. By the way, don't overlook the wordplay in the title.
Pete holding himself stiff as a crust while being carried to the oven-couch is alone enough to make you laugh. -- The New York Times
Christopher Lehmann-Haupt
Steig, inspired by a game he used to play with his daughter, turns a rainy day into a pizza party, starring a caring father and his feeling-blue son, Pete. Just when Pete was set to go play ball with his friends, it starts to rain. His melancholy is not lost on his father: 'He thinks it might cheer Pete up to be made into a pizza. Which is just what the father proceeds to do. Pete is transported to the kitchen table where he is kneaded and stretched, tossed into the air for shaping, sprinkled with oil and flour and tomatoes and cheese (water, talcum, checkers, and bits of paper). He then gets baked on the living room couch and tickled and chased until the sun comes out and it is time to speed outside, a pizza no more, but happy. What leaps from the page, with a dancer's grace, is the warmth and imagination wrapped in an act of kindness and tuned- in parenting. As always, Steig's illustrations are a natural, an organic, part of the story, whether Pete's a pizza, or not.
