Eat, Leo, Eat!

January 15, 2015
Nonna's tales about the stelline, chiancaredde and other shapes of pasta she serves entice a reluctant ragazzo to the dinner table.Everyone gathers at Nonna's house on Sunday afternoons, but only after urging will little Leo sit down. "Not hungry for stelline? Not hungry for little stars? Hmm," says Nonna-and then begins a tale about a boy going to see his Nonna on a dark night. The next Sunday the pasta is chiancaredde, "paving stones," and after that occhi di lupo. With each week Nonna adds an element to the boy's journey. Soon, not only is Leo first to the table, but everyone wants to hear what comes next. "Buon appetito!" Leo calls to all at the end, and "Altrettanto, Leo! You, too!" they answer. Though there is definitely not enough food on the table in Bisaillon's mixed-media collages, the smiling faces and closely grouped figures of Leo, parents, cousins and other relatives glow with warmth. On alternate spreads, views of an apprehensive lad making his way through a shadowed woodland beneath shining stelline give way at sunrise to a climactic hug in a garden aflutter with farfalle (butterflies). A closing page about pasta only hints at its many possible ingredients and shapes. Food, family, stories: delizioso! (glossary) (Picture book. 5-8)

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August 1, 2015

PreS-Gr 2-Life, like most cooking, is based on a simple recipe. Do what you love and take care of those whom you love. This simple recipe is followed beautifully in Adderson's new story celebrating pasta, family, and storytelling. In Eat, Leo! Eat!, a grandmother figures out how to entice her grandson to the dinner table by spinning a series of stories inspired by the shapes of the pasta she cooks for the weekly family gathering. At the beginning of the story, Leo cannot be bothered with coming to the "noisy, delizioso lunch" that has been prepared by his grandmother, Nonna. He'd rather play under the table with his toys. Instead of badgering her grandson, Nonna entices him with a story about a young boy and some magical occurrences. Each of the stories begins with the shape of the pasta she is serving that week, from stellines (stars) to chiancaredde (paving stones) to occhi di lupo (wolf eyes). Eventually, it is Leo who helps to make pasta and calls the family to lunch so he can hear the rest of his story. Leo is, as his grandfather chides, "hungry for stories." The bright, childlike illustrations pair perfectly with the story, and Bisaillon easily moves readers between the bustling kitchen and the storied settings by altering the color palette just slightly between the two settings. VERDICT An engaging read-aloud that will have you gathering your family for a home-cooked meal and some shared stories.-Sally James, South Hillsborough Elementary School, Hillsborough, CA

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