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Once Upon A Pizza by Gene Goldberg is an imaginative and humorous quick read about the many imaginary ways in which pizza was invented!
Everyone loves pizza, but how was it invented?
Cheese and tomatoes falling from the leaning tower? Cartloads of ingredients crashing together? Or maybe someone slipped on a puddle of water, smashing the ingredients together? These zany stories tell several different ways the world's most delectable dish might have been created. The last is last is a retelling of the most accepted historical account of it's actual invention, slightly altered of course, to assure that it's in keeping with the humorous tone of the other stories.
Each story has different protagonists: Galileo's neighbor, a butterfly, a pot maker, a restaurateur, an arguing couple, a suitor, a youth leaving home, a glutton, and finally, the chef in Naples, Italy, who really did invent pizza. Just so you won't be too hungry after reading so much about tasty pizzas, there's a recipe.
Excellent for parents to read to 4-6 year-old children or for 6-10 year-olds to entertain themselves. The older children will benefit from the glossary at the back explaining the Italian words used in the stories.
Once Upon A Pizza by Gene Goldberg is an imaginative and humorous quick read. The short book lists down 8 ways in which pizza could have been invented and one way which it possibly did with some added twists and turns. The author also gives a helpful pizza recipe because of course after all the reading about pizza's imaginary inventions, you are bound to get hungry! So wouldn't the best way to end a book about pizza be to cook one and eat it? Gene came up with these stories to entertain his 9-year-old son and oh what rib tickling stories they are! From making Galileo an accomplice to the first pizza ever made to a creative suitor who won over the girl's father with his new dish, Goldberg's pizza creation stories keep the reader engaged. Although the book is short and can be read in one sitting, I would recommend reading one at a time or a couple at a time because otherwise they may get repetitive and be a drag as each one is about the pizza's invention. It is best suited for children or reading to the children as bed time stories just like Goldberg did for his son. Reading it one at a time to the kids also adds a kind of Arabian Nights feel to the storytelling process as you take one story at a time. The title of the book also highlights the fairy tale mood of each story, making it fun to actually take each story one at time since it transports you to a different and earlier time and place. Though primarily meant for children, the book is great fun for adults too and you learn a thing or two about pizza even how it was really created! It is also well suited in a classroom situation if teachers want to get the students' creative juices flowing for any creative writing project because essentially the premise of the book is about pizza being invented and Goldberg leaves no stone unturned to tap into his imagination to create many possibilities for that! It is a great way to get the kids to think about their favorite food and how it came into existence and maybe conjure imaginary storylines around it too! It would be a fun family game as well; one which is not online but more based on our grey matter!
Enjoy this fun and rather mouthwatering book! :D
I am in an eternal relationship with reading and stories. Apart from reading, I enjoy gardening, talking walks and wandering about to explore curious nooks and corners of the place I am living in. I also enjoy cooking while I sway to my favourite tunes!
Everyone loves pizza, but how was it invented?
Cheese and tomatoes falling from the leaning tower? Cartloads of ingredients crashing together? Or maybe someone slipped on a puddle of water, smashing the ingredients together? These zany stories tell several different ways the world's most delectable dish might have been created. The last is last is a retelling of the most accepted historical account of it's actual invention, slightly altered of course, to assure that it's in keeping with the humorous tone of the other stories.
Each story has different protagonists: Galileo's neighbor, a butterfly, a pot maker, a restaurateur, an arguing couple, a suitor, a youth leaving home, a glutton, and finally, the chef in Naples, Italy, who really did invent pizza. Just so you won't be too hungry after reading so much about tasty pizzas, there's a recipe.
Excellent for parents to read to 4-6 year-old children or for 6-10 year-olds to entertain themselves. The older children will benefit from the glossary at the back explaining the Italian words used in the stories.
Gene is a retired architect who now leads hiking and cultural trips to Italy and Bhutan among other places. He lives in Santa Fe, NM. He lived in Naples, Italy 1969-72 while in the US Army. This is his first book. view profile
Published on February 04, 2021
8000 words
Worked with a Reedsy professional 🏆
Genre: Picture Books
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