Happy Book Birthday, WillieBoy Eats the World by Steven Schirripa!

It's time to shoutout a book birthday! Actually, I'm a teeny-bit early with this one, since it releases on the 21st (three more days), but I'm always excited to celebrate. So, I'm shouting already again.

Today's read comes from an independent publisher in New York, which I hadn't heard about before but has existed since 1996. It's always fun to expand the horizons because there are tons of publishers out there. Back to the book... it centers around a man and his dog and food. I do love food and dogs, which makes this a 'let's take a peek' book for me. I believe it will explore other cultures and the huge range of food available. 

Let's open it up and see how it goes!

WILLIEBOY EATS THE WORLD

by Steve Schirripa

and Philip Lerman

Illustrated by Kirk Parrish

Akashic Books, Ltd

Picture Book

32 pages

ages 4 to 8

Sopranos star Steve Schirripa gets a delicious and delightful lesson about the wondrous world of food from his dog WillieBoy in this beautifully illustrated picture book

WILLIEBOY EATS THE WORLD  is a children’s book that answers the question every parent has what do you tell children who won’t try new things?

Actor and best-selling author Steve Schirripa yields center stage to his adorable real-life dachshund WillieBoy in this New York City–based fantasy. It was inspired by the viral videos the two have become famous for, with Steve and WillieBoy chowing down on everything from pizza to churros. In WillieBoy Eats the World, Steve admits that he only eats Italian food because it’s all that he knows—so WillieBoy teaches him the joy of trying Chinese, Thai, Mexican, Korean, and dozens of other delights. WillieBoy “Trust me, my pal, you’ll be glad that I sent ya / On this great big fabulous dining adventure.”

The book is cowritten by author and journalist Philip Lerman, and illustrated by veteran artist Kirk Parrish.

GOODREADS    /    AMAZON

MY TIDBITS

Food, food, and more food pack these pages as a man and his clever friend learn how exciting the culinary world truly is.

Steve loves to eat his favorite foods, which means all Italian foods. Pizza, pasta, and more fill Steve's table, and that's fine with his dog, WillieBoy. One day while walking through the park, they run across a large group of dogs playing together. Each dog comes from a different culture, and here, WillieBoy learns that there is more than just Italian food out there. With a mission to introduce Steve to a much wider range on the culinary front, WillieBoy takes him on a food exploration-extravaganza. 

Not only foodies are going to enjoy this book as the pages open up to a huge variety of delicious delights. It begins with a food most young readers can get behind, pepperoni pizza, and takes off from there. Actually, the book begins with the warm, snuggly relationship between Steve and WillieBoy, and invites readers immediately to find both sympathetic and fun. The relationship between man and dog is inspiring and already hooks. Then, the cute-dog-crowd hits, which is sure to win dog fans over before heading into food, food, and more food. The scenes stay lively the entire way through, going from restaurants to food markets to dream-like states of delicious dishes floating everywhere. The visual fun holds the excitement high and keeps listeners engaged during read-a-louds.

The text is written in rhyme, most of it flowing well to create a smooth tale. There's a sense of playfulness while the cultural aspects of food slide onto the page. Listeners are sure to recognize many dishes and, maybe, discover a few new ones. The level is fitting to the age group and keeps fun and humor high while building in the cultural goodness.