Zak's Lunch - Softcover

Howard Fine is the illustrator of many popular picture books. He lives with his family in White Plains, New York.Visit his website at www.howardfineillustration.com.

Kindergarten-Grade 3AZak refuses to eat the ham and cheese sandwich his mother has prepared for his lunch. As he stares at his food, he imagines a restaurant where he can have anything he wants. Suddenly, he and his dog George are at Zak's Place, where the waitress, who bears a marked resemblance to his mother, rejects his order of a hamburger as too boring. Zak rises to the challenge and asks for "a triple-decker, super-duper burger deluxe. With lots of grease, and runny ketchup, fried onions, gooey yellow cheese that squirts at you when you take a bite, and at least a pound of pickles. The kind that make your mouth pucker." He also orders other entrees, fountain drinks, and all sorts of desserts. When his fantasy ends, Zak finds himself facing the same sandwich and the same order from his mother: "I want to see that sandwich gone." He looks the other way while George makes his lunch disappear, a solution young dog owners may have already discovered. This tale of a child's wishful thinking will appeal to readers of Palatini and Fine's Piggie Pie! (Houghton, 1995). The story moves along at the same quick pace, the humor is right on target for reluctant eaters, and the watercolor-and-pastel illustrations explore similarly exaggerated or unusual perspectives. The large pictures of mountains of food make this especially fun for group consumption.AEllen Fader, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR
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