Giant Meatball [Hardcover]

Robert Weinstock (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

A merry meatball is rolling a path of destruction through a small town. He rolls over pets, petunias, and the library--where he refuses to shush. When he rolls over the mayor herself, the townspeople know it's time. Time to invite the meatball to dinner. . .

    

Sly humor abounds in this charming, offbeat story that will appeal to anyone who's ever faced a bully--and, of course, to spaghetti fans of all ages.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3—An enormous meatball "bomple[s] and bounce[s] his way" through the countryside, blissfully oblivious to the problems he creates. Despite leaving behind a trail of farms with crushed raspberry patches and disquieted cows, and disrupting city streets, the meatball remains confident that the people "…can't get enough of me." The townsfolk's polite suggestions for caution graduate to furious billboards, which get no results. Fed up, the mayor decides to give the troublemaker "a good talking-to," but the meatball temporarily flattens her. The final page shows the villagers seated at a large table that holds a gargantuan (covered) dish with a sign, "Menu du Jour—Meatball." The dialogue is likely to confound some kids: "He sullies our jellies and jeopardizes our jams." Although the cartoon artwork, drawn with black Prismacolor pencil and colored in Adobe Illustrator, has quirky charm, the lead character is vaguely disturbing. Apparently raw, he is a lumpy pink blob with dents, one eyebrow, and short arms and legs. He wears white socks and dress shoes, and has buck teeth. If you have a picture-book audience for dark humor and oddball characters, you might consider this book for your collection.—Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA
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About the Author

ROBERT WEINSTOCK is a graphic designer, former children's book editor, and author of Gordimer Byrd's Reminder. He lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1 edition (June 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152055959
• ISBN-13: 978-0152055950
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 10.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,297,404 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Book Review: Giant Meatball, July 24, 2008

By 

T. Jonker "http://100scopenotes.wordpress.com" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Giant Meatball (Hardcover)

Note to authors: if you're looking for a way to make your upcoming children's book appeal to kids who dig the absurd, make your main character a food. It worked for "Arnie the Doughnut". Honestly - is there a more surefire way to communicate that your story is out to have a good time? In the opinion of this simple librarian, no. "Giant Meatball" is an oddball of a book with a surprise ending that will score points with fans of silly.

The titular Meatball has been keeping to himself for years. He doesn't know where *ahem* "whence" he came from, but he doesn't seem to mind. Content bounding around the countryside, Meatball merrily destroys everything in his path. The townspeople try the polite approach to get him to stop, but when Meatball brings his brand of oblivious havoc-wreaking into the middle of town, they plead with the mayor to put an end to things. After the meeting between Meatball and the mayor doesn't go as planned (see: squashed), the townspeople kick politeness to the curb. They fix up a dinner with an unconventional main dish. One that is usually served in a supporting role. With spaghetti. Hint: it's round.

In other words, the ending has some guts.

The Adobe Illustrator and prismacolor pencil illustrations provide an appropriate element of breeziness to the tale. While it's not perfect (I'm talking about you "shushing librarian" stereotype), "Giant Meatball" will make a jovial addition to your library.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful, whimsical book, August 5, 2008

By 

K. Magowan - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Giant Meatball (Hardcover)

Our three year old loves this book and so do we! It appeals to children and parents alike, both visually (our daughter loves the oddball, gorgeous, detailed illustrations-- every character seems to have a peculiar item on his head: bones, chickens, cupcakes; we love the strange Prussian architechture the book's "snoozy" town sports) and rhetorically (the book abounds with silly, clever puns, cobblers who want to give the sociopathic meatball the "boot" and so forth. Check out all the hilarious names of the town's stores). The ending, in which the put-upon, patient townspeople finally bail on diplomacy as a means of dealing with the meatball and resort to forks, is the funniest denouement of a children's book I've read in ages, and has our daughter cracking up. This is a truly terrific book. Consider pairing it with another story about dealing with bullies, like "Shrinking Violet."

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We have a Ball reading this book!, July 11, 2008

By 

C. Heller (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Giant Meatball (Hardcover)

My children all love this book. And as a parent who is reuqested to read it many times, I too enjoy this clever, witty and engaging children's book. The illustrations are expressive and capture the energy of the story. This entertaining book is a family favorite in our house.