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Who Needs Donuts? [Hardcover]

Mark Alan Stamaty
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)

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Book Description

September 23, 2003 3 - 7 years
Sam’s love of donuts takes him to the Big City where he makes friends with Mr. Bikferd, a world class collector of donuts. But when Mr. Bikferd falls in love with Pretzel Annie, the prophecy of an old homeless woman comes true: “Who needs donuts when you’ve got love?” Mr. Bikferd bequeaths his donut collection to Sam, who uses it to save the old homeless woman from drowning in a basement flooded with coffee.

This is a reissue of Mark Alan Stamaty’s masterpiece of the absurd, first published 30 years ago and out of print nearly as long. With an illustration style that mixes a benign Hieronymus Bosch with an urban Where’s Waldo?, Stamaty’s off-the-wall humor is on target for little kids and big kids today.

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Who Needs Donuts? + The Day the Babies Crawled Away + The Little Polar Bear
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Originally published in 1973, Who Needs Donuts is a sweet visual feast that will have kids (and nostalgic parents) poring over its rich tableaus for hours. Every inch of each black-and-white page is covered in detailed, delightful drawings, at times bringing to mind the two-dimensional cartoons of Saul Steinberg, at others the scratchy realism of Lynda Barry’s comics. In fact, there is so much to look at in this short, simple story that new discoveries are sure to be made with each successive reading (of which there are bound to be countless).

Young Sam, clad (inexplicably, yet charmingly) in cowboy duds, already has a nice house with a big yard and lots of friends, but he feels nonetheless that something is missing. He mounts his trusty trike and heads for the big city in search of one thing: donuts, and not just a few, but "More than his mother and father could ever buy him."

His quest is rife with humor and adventure, not to mention a man in paisley suit and a woman named Pretzel Annie. Kids will adore the no-holds-barred kookiness displayed throughout (a street vendor selling fried oranges with optional mayonnaise; a "self-service" restaurant where the waiters look exactly like the customers), and adults will smile at the hippie-era moral that love is all you need. As the flap illustration warns, "This book is addictive," but this sugar habit need not be kicked. (Ages 5 to 10) --Brangien Davis

From the Inside Flap

Sam?s love of donuts takes him to the Big City where he makes friends with Mr. Bikferd, a world class collector of donuts. But when Mr. Bikferd falls in love with Pretzel Annie, the prophecy of an old homeless woman comes true: ?Who needs donuts when you?ve got love?? Mr. Bikferd bequeaths his donut collection to Sam, who uses it to save the old homeless woman from drowning in a basement flooded with coffee.

This is a reissue of Mark Alan Stamaty?s masterpiece of the absurd, first published 30 years ago and out of print nearly as long. With an illustration style that mixes a benign Hieronymus Bosch with an urban Where?s Waldo?, Stamaty?s off-the-wall humor is on target for little kids and big kids today.

Product Details

  • Age Range: 3 - 7 years
  • Hardcover: 40 pages
  • Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers; Reissue edition (September 23, 2003)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0375825509
  • ISBN-13: 978-0375825507
  • Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 0.5 x 9.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 13.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,723 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
(44)
4.8 out of 5 stars
This book is chock full of details. Aimee Cowles  |  11 reviewers made a similar statement
This is easily my favorite book of all time. Nathan Dickson  |  10 reviewers made a similar statement
Every page of Mark Alan Stamaty's masterpiece contains a picture or reference to a donut. Jim Dwyer  |  6 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the greatest children's books of all time! November 24, 1997
Format:Hardcover
With any justice, Stamaty would be a household name with Sendak and Scarry in children's publishing. This book had a major effect on me as a child. Luckily for me, my school library had one tattered, well-read copy. I thought that I had the only remaining copy which I obtained a few years ago after a nationwide search. I even called Mr. Stamaty and he said he didn't have a copy (but maybe his mother did - he'd check.). Unbelievably detailed (after hundreds of readings I STILL find new things) and twistedly funny pen-and-ink drawings, bizarre characters, a profound moral message, and doughnuts, doughnuts, doughnuts! I'm writing this with the hope that one day it will be re-released so that more people could enjoy this book and appreciate Mr. Stamaty's obsessive genius. I still cannot understand why this book was a financial flop and so overlooked by critics when it was released (too weird?). Perhaps its time has come.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A masterpiece!!! September 19, 2003
Format:Hardcover
I started reading "Who Needs Donuts" in 1974, and have been making steady progress on it ever since. Someday, I hope to finish it. But that is unlikely, for this poignant story is filled with such intricate humorous detail, it is almost impossible to tell if you've completed it! This is a timeless masterpiece for readers of all ages, that until the reissue was available only to the lucky few who managed to get a copy in the 70s. Now that its back, everyone can and should know "Who Needs Donuts".
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Who Needs Donuts? WE DO!!! September 22, 1999
Format:Hardcover
The book is wonderfully detailed and crazy! It will keep you entertained for hours. We would love to find a copy of it if we could. We haven't seen it since college. Every time you look at it, you find something new!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars My kids love this book
This book is so fun and layered that your kids will never tire of it. We stopped reading it and just stay on certain pages admiring Mr.Stamaty's work.
Published 25 days ago by samuel r dilorenzo
5.0 out of 5 stars A cult classic!
Who Needs Donuts is a simple story about a boy finding the real meaning of life. It isn't acquiring donuts. It is about love. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Titus Landegent
5.0 out of 5 stars A hidden gem!
My husband was familiar with this book and Mark Alan Stamaty's work from his childhood, but I had never heard of him. Unfortunate, but this book is amazing. Read more
Published 6 months ago by LawyerMom
5.0 out of 5 stars Just as good as I remember!
I was a little when this book was new, and I loved it. It is full of puns, plays on words and absurdities, which I think a lot of little kids love, especially when they're learning... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Katherine Mansfield
4.0 out of 5 stars Amusing but dated
I heard this author artist talking on the New Yorker magazine's podcast about his work in the CARTOON ISSUE. Read more
Published 16 months ago by D. Richardson
4.0 out of 5 stars Who knew donuts could be so wild and fascinating?
I heard about this book an an Aaron Horkey art gallery exhibit in the Cottonwood County Historical Society's Remick Art Gallery. How oddball is that? Read more
Published on November 19, 2010 by Bic Wicker
5.0 out of 5 stars amazing artwork!
My children would check out this book from the library over & over. Every time we looked at it we would find some new hidden treasure in the artwork. Read more
Published on August 29, 2010 by garden keeper
4.0 out of 5 stars Shipped fast, good condition.
Bought this book for my boyfriend, who remembers it from childhood. The drawings are great; so intricate!
Published on December 14, 2009 by Katie E. Carlson
5.0 out of 5 stars While We're Filming Beloved Childrens Books
I was overjoyed when Who Needs Donuts was reissued. I would scan Amazon.com regularly, only to find used copies for hundreds of dollars. Read more
Published on December 8, 2009 by James R. Hall
5.0 out of 5 stars Seriously...a FUN read for your kid (and you!)
I LOVED to read as a child, but never had this book. Then one day I stumbled on it at the library and without even really getting a chance to look at it, grabbed it (along with a... Read more
Published on October 1, 2008 by Lilly Lover
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