Pass the Celery, Ellery!
Snappy design, an eye-popping palette and loopy rhymes characterize this high-concept picture book based on a favorite game of the author's family. "Around the table, one by one/ Match food to name until you're done." Foraging through the alphabet, Gaga and friends emerge with a series of jaunty pairings that begin with "Pass the abalone, Tony" and end with "Pass the zabaglione, Joni." Their punchy combinations (nutmeg/Oleg, veal/Emile) provide plenty of ammunition to fire readers' imaginations. Fisher's simple blocks of mouth-watering colors (in plum, salmon and cherry red hues) belie the sophisticated compositions. He extends the playful conceit and displays a keen eye for the absurd. Great swathes of color create striking backdrops for the hand-lettered text and images of a man with a giant drumstick slung over his shoulder ("Pass the meat, Pete") and a poodle-skirted woman tugging at a strand of endless pasta that spells out "Pass the spaghetti, Betty." Whole sentences alternate with single words arranged in a checkerboard pattern or scattered across the pages. One part abecedary, one part dinner table diversion, one part eye candy, this recipe adds up to one fun book. All ages. (Oct.)Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.