Synopsis
An oblivious meatball gets his just dessert.
Children's Literature
AGERANGE: Ages 5 to 8.
A giant meatball is the unusual main character of this very strange story. The proud meatball has bounced his way around the fields for years, singing "Roundy, boundy, moundy me!" The townsfolk are annoyed at his careless romping. But when asked to quiet down, he will not listen. When he makes a mess careening through the center of town, the mayor goes to speak to him quietly. But the meatball, full of his own importance, rolls over and flattens her. The ending is an amusing surprise. The cartoony illustrations of people and animals, produced with black Prismacolor pencil and colored in Adobe Illustrator, are fun as well. Even cats and mice are reading in the library as the meatball bounces by and the librarian tries to shush him. The shops in town have names like "Stinky Pinky Fine Cheeses & Hams," "Oy Vey Berets," "Kit and Kapoodles," and "Immaculate Confection." The giant pink meatball just keeps going while the fun goes on. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz