Day 24: Pete's a Pizza

Pete is feeling sad one rainy day, so his dad decides to cheer him up by making him into a pizza.  The dad lays Pete down on the kitchen table and gets to work, kneading, stretching, and tossing him around, adding some oil and flour (really just water and talcum powder), and then adding the toppings.  Tomatoes (checkers), cheese (shredded bits of paper)...  you get the idea.  Pete's A Pizza is a clever little story about creative play and some good old father/son silliness.  I'll admit that the first time I read it, I thought it was cute, but nothing special.  My son, however, LOVED it.  He wanted to read it again and again, so we did... and each time I read it to him, I liked it a little bit more.  We act it out as we read, too, which makes it even more fun and giggle worthy.  "Pizzas are not supposed to laugh!"  "Pizza-makers are not supposed to tickle their pizzas!"  My son's absolute favorite part is when it's finally time to slice the pizza.  Pete's father brings him from the oven (couch) over to the table, and my son can't wait to turn the page and yell out, "But the pizza runs away!"  He laughs and laughs and just loves how the pizza gets chased, captured and hugged in the end.  After reading this a few times this morning and making my own little guy into a pizza, we decided to make some real pizza dough of our own.  And with that, my own little pizza ran away into the kitchen to pull his little chair over to the counter and get out the flour.   Pizza for dinner it was!   Next time your little one is feeling grouchy, try making him or her into a pizza.  It might just be the perfect cure!