Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Mount Angel Public Library | E JOHNSON | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Library | PRE FIC JOH | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Salem Main Library | JP Johnson | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
All the townsfolk - including a mouse, a gorilla, and an ostrich - are hot on the trail of one crazy meatball gone astray. "Johnson has used Glazer's classic song as a jumping-off point for silly extravaganza. The combination of the familiar refrain and Johnson's bright cartoon illustrations is sure to please young listeners." - Kirkus Reviews
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Expanding on the popular song, Johnson spins the tale of Yodeler Jones, a hound dog who serves nothing but meatballs and spaghetti at his dining establishment. When business begins to slow, Yodeler concocts a brand-new meatball, but before he can taste it, someone sneezes, setting the song into action with the pooch and his animal pals in pursuit of the flyaway meatball. With original text printed in black and the lyrics sprinkled throughout in color, this story successfully marries the two. The loony illustrations, full of color and movement, effectively capture the zaniness. Pair this book with Judi Barrett's Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (S & S, 1998) and Ryan SanAngelo's Spaghetti Eddie (Boyds Mills, 2002) for a yummy storytime treat.-Lisa Gangemi Kropp, Middle Country Public Library, Centereach, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Johnson offers readers a goofy backstory for the popular folk song parody, much along the same lines as his look at another novelty hit, Little Bunny Foo Foo. Here, he posits that the title song is about a struggling canine chef named Yodeler Jones who claims that, ever since the fried fritter fricassee parlor moved next door, "I couldn't haul in a customer with a line and pole." When a mouse assistant sneezes and sends a promising meatball flying, the lyrics of the song start wafting through the pages ("It rolled off the table/ And onto the floor,/ And then my poor meatball/ Rolled out of the door"), while Yodeler's first-person narrative fills in the details of his meatball pursuit. In keeping with the song's lesser-known third and fourth verses (the entire song appears on the final page), the dog's fortune is made when the mushed meatball somehow yields (overnight) a magical tree that produces "the most dee-licious meatballs this side of Sicily." Johnson's work feels less polished here than in some of his previous titles (The Cow Who Wouldn't Come Down); his ink line looks clunky, and his characters feel flat and methodical, even at their most agitated. But it's hard to quibble with a book that's so genuinely genial. The folksy cadences of Johnson's text and the opportunity to break into song will likely raise a smile. Ages 4-8. (May) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Horn Book Review
(Preschool, Primary) Johnson takes Glazer's silly song, enthusiastically sung by children for decades, and gives it a backstory. The narrator, a dog wearing a jaunty red-and-white checked chef's hat and apron, tells how he came to make the meatball that was set off on a journey ""when somebody sneezed."" The chef's folksy narrative is punctuated throughout with the words of the original song, set apart in a different color and font. In Johnson's version, the meatball flies and bounces along while the song keeps repeating that it ""rolls,"" but a giant airborne meatball is still funny, as is the new twist of it being lost a second time when somebody ""squeezed."" The exuberant animal characters can be picked out on succeeding pages, and storytime groups will love this one, especially if the storyteller is willing to sing. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Yodeler Jones's Spaghetti Emporium & Musicale is in trouble when the Fried Fritter Fricassee opens next door. He decides to upgrade his menu and creates a beautiful meatball, but his assistant's sneeze blows it out the window. The ensuing meatball chase takes the two through the Piggly Wiggly, past the police station and to the ballpark. The meatball is whacked all the way back to the Emporium & Musicale, but it has turned to mush. Fortunately, the mush grows into a meatball-and-sauce-bearing tree. If the whole story sounds a tad familiar, that's to be expected: Johnson has used Glazer's classic song as a jumping-off point for silly extravaganza. The combination of the familiar refrain and Johnson's bright cartoon illustrations is sure to please young listeners, though the observant among them will likely point out that the meatball does more flying than rolling following the initial sneeze. Music and recipes are included for those who want the full experience. (Picture book. 2-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
PreS-Gr. 2. In this picture-book invitation to a noisy storytime, seasoned author-illustrator Johnson extends songwriter Tom Glazer's classic anthem to spaghetti with an original frame story. When a gimmicky snack shop steals customers from a spaghetti cafe run by a beagle and mouse, the proprietors set out to concoct the most dee-licious meatball this side of Sicily. Johnson's thickly outlined, ebullient acrylics show the delectable creation launched forth by a giant sneeze, ultimately sprouting into a meatball tree that puts the pasta joint back in the black. Lines from the song appear sandwiched between paragraphs of text, and the discontinuous presentation of the familiar lyrics may initially confuse children. But the slapstick, folksy tone of Johnson's contributions--especially the recurring exclamation, Pardon my meatball! as the foodstuff ricochets pinball-style around the community--will help to refocus children's attention from singing to listening. This jaunty offering will undoubtedly enter the sing-along rotation, and will have particular savor on days when spaghetti is on the lunch menu. --Jennifer Mattson Copyright 2006 Booklist