Zak's Lunch [Hardcover]

Margie Palatini (Author), Howard Fine (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 20, 1998 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

A ham and cheese sandwich for lunch? Even Zak's dog agrees it's boring! When Zak complains, his mother tells him, "This is not a restaurant, young man. I want that lunch gone. And that's that." But suddenly, Lou, a fast-talking, frizzy-haired waitress, appears to take his order--a triple-decker, super-duper cheeseburger deluxe, a pile of crazy fries, a pound of pickles, giant pizzas, cherry fizzes, and anything else Zak requests. Then, just as Zak is diving into piles of yummy desserts, reality returns with a vengeance . . . and with a sandwich! The unbeatable team of Margie Palatini and Howard Fine, author and illustrator of the award-winning "Piggie Pie!," combine bold, mouthwatering illustrations with hilarious text for a deliciously imaginative escapade.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In a boy's goofy daydream of a diner existing just for him, sky-high piles of fries, fleets of pizzas and "a tub of spaghetti with meatballs the size of baseballs" offer an alluring alternative to the boring ham and cheese sandwich made by his mother. Vivid watercolor-and-pastel illustrations by Fine, previously teamed with Palatini for Piggie Pie!, feature exaggerated close-ups and skewed perspectives, adding a frenzied quality to this snowballing pig-out. Kids who always want "this much"Astretching their arms wideAwill be awed by Zak's feast, beginning with "a triple-decker, super-duper burger deluxe. With lots of grease, and runny ketchup, fried onions, gooey yellow cheese that squirts at you when you take a bite, and at least a pound of pickles." The meal grows progressively crazy until Zak, his Saint Bernard and the diner waitress Lou are sliding through mountains of ice cream. Caricatured faces with red noses gleam as brightly as the greasy pepperoni or the array of colorful shakes and sodas covering the pink Formica counter. Combining gross-out appeal with a fantasy premise, this lively book gives those with eyes that are bigger than their stomachs plenty of food for thought. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3AZak refuses to eat the ham and cheese sandwich his mother has prepared for his lunch. As he stares at his food, he imagines a restaurant where he can have anything he wants. Suddenly, he and his dog George are at Zak's Place, where the waitress, who bears a marked resemblance to his mother, rejects his order of a hamburger as too boring. Zak rises to the challenge and asks for "a triple-decker, super-duper burger deluxe. With lots of grease, and runny ketchup, fried onions, gooey yellow cheese that squirts at you when you take a bite, and at least a pound of pickles. The kind that make your mouth pucker." He also orders other entrees, fountain drinks, and all sorts of desserts. When his fantasy ends, Zak finds himself facing the same sandwich and the same order from his mother: "I want to see that sandwich gone." He looks the other way while George makes his lunch disappear, a solution young dog owners may have already discovered. This tale of a child's wishful thinking will appeal to readers of Palatini and Fine's Piggie Pie! (Houghton, 1995). The story moves along at the same quick pace, the humor is right on target for reluctant eaters, and the watercolor-and-pastel illustrations explore similarly exaggerated or unusual perspectives. The large pictures of mountains of food make this especially fun for group consumption.AEllen Fader, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books (April 20, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395816742
• ISBN-13: 978-0395816745
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 10.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,511,345 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Wow. My very first picture book -- PIGGIE PIE!, is celebrating
it's fifteenth anniversary this year! It tickles me to know that
'Gritch' is still giving giggles.
Visit her and my other characters on my website: www.margiepalatini.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So silly, I kept laughing., August 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Zak's Lunch (Hardcover)

As I read this book aloud to a visiting 4 year old at my house, the adults within hearing distance kept cracking up. I bought this with my niece in mind who loves to eat (and LOVED Piggie Pie!) and I can't wait to read it to her. The rhymes and the pictures of all the food will really set her off!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Zak's lunch book review, December 18, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Zak's Lunch (Hardcover)

The book Zak's Lunch is about a kid and his lunch. Zak hears his mom say, "Zak, time for lunch." Zak runs down the stairs and goes into the kitchen. He looks at his lunch and says..., "Yuck ham and cheese sandwich!" His mom does not like his attitude, and then his mom gives him grief. Zak dreams about his own restaurant where he can have his own food any time he wants. His mom wakes Zak up and says, "I want that sandwich gone and when I say gone, I mean gone!"

My favorite part of the story is Zak's dream, though I don't believe it will ever come true. You can find out exactly what Zak dreams if you read this humorous book. I recommend it for people who like funny stories.

- Chris, ten years old.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars an obnoxious book, July 24, 2010

By 

A and A in LA (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zak's Lunch (Paperback)

I picked this up at a yard sale without really looking at it, and ended up finding it just unpleasant (although it kept my two-year-old's attention). The book's attitude toward food is pretty gross. I believe in giving kids a wide variety of healthy food, with treats in moderation, and letting them decide what and how much to eat. This book, with the grouchy mom nagging the kid to eat everything on his plate, and the kid dreaming about gorging on junk food, feels disrespectful to kids, mean, and dated in an unpleasant way. I'm not usually particularly puritanical about food, or kids' books, or kids' humor, but this book just struck me as crass and obnoxious.