TV Dinner

Everitt, Betsy

ISBN 10: 015283950X ISBN 13: 9780152839505

Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books, 1994

Synopsis

Instead of peas, soup, rice, or anything nice, Daisy Lee eats her TV for dinner, and then starts looking around for dessert.

About this title

From Kirkus Reviews

When Daisy Lee says she's going to eat a TV dinner ``instead of peas, instead of soup, instead of rice, or something nice,'' she means it literally. She begins with Channel 2 and Channel 3, moves on to the ``news at six'' and ``all the shows with talking heads,'' complements these with a few ``toothpaste ads,'' and finishes up with the remote control. When she's done, she sheepishly burps ``a show on channel 9'' but quickly recovers in time for dessert: the rest of the house. The dialogue is more precise and also more witty than the Matisse wannabe paintings: Disappointingly, Daisy doesn't really eat the programs, just the TV itself, and an opportunity to add humor is lost in the ubiquitous smiling pig who's featured in every scene but never seems particularly surprised at--or alarmed by--his extremely strange friend. He just keeps smiling. Still, Everitt (Mean Soup, not reviewed) has written a hugely amusing play on words that the youngest of children will appreciate and understand. (Fiction/Picture book. 3-8) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From Publishers Weekly

Everitt's (Mean Soup) latest picture book again depicts a fantasy world where kids rule. This time out an adventurous girl hungry for something different doesn't choose soup or "something nice" but rather opts to have a TV dinner-literally. Daisy Lee chomps on the various channels and programming, crunches the knobs and buttons, and saves the remote control for last. Although she claims the fare tasted great, a Godzilla movie and other shows running loose in her stomach cause some temporary queasiness-but nothing serious enough to deter her from making even bigger plans for dessert. Everitt's rhyming, breezy writing tries hard to buoy this flimsy premise. Children may welcome the irreverent mood here, though many of them may question the logic behind Daisy's desire to devour an appliance. The visuals here, however, stand out, as Everitt's energetic and loosely rendered gouaches threaten to escape the colorful and inventive borders on each page. Ages 3-8.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 015283950X
• ISBN 13: 9780152839505
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 32