Zak's Lunch

by Margie Palatini, Howard Fine (Illustrator)

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.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Deedee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short children's story.

[Desirée DeNourie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my go to book to remind my children about the power of detail in their writing. This book is so much fun to read, and re-read!

[Michaela · Rating 2 out of 5]

The food descriptions and portion about the diner were honestly so fun. But I really dislike when children's book characters have rotten attitudes/rude to parents and it's either never addressed, there's never a change of heart or not a single lesson learned. All that rudeness and attitude for nothin'😅

[Jennifer Collis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my boys’ favorite book when they were young. I bet I read this 1000 times!

[Kevin Gause · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book !

[Gabriel · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5/5. Honestly not a good kid's book. I didn't like the premise, the characters, or the actions. Only redeemable quality, as is true with a lot of children's books, is the artwork is magnificent.

[Rosa Cline · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little boy comes to the lunch table ready for an awesome (in his mind) lunch. But instead his Mama gives him a ordinary ham and cheese sandwich. He doesn't want to eat it and fusses at his Mama about it. In his imagination he goes to his very own diner! A waitress and a cook all his own ordering mountains and mountains of food! But then he comes back to reality and his mama telling him to eat his lunch she turns her back and his dog eats his lunch she thinks he eats it and is happy until she says "Good boy" and the dog barks! Uh-oh!

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zac imagination gets away from him when has decided he doesn't want to eat the ham and cheese sandwich his mother has made for him. Suddenly Lou a waitress appears and Zac and his dog are transpotated to Zac's very own restraunt. Zac can order anything he wants, the choices are endless. Then all of the sudden Zac has a reality check and is drawn back to reality to find his ham and cheese sandwich is still there. Great read aloud for 1st- 4th.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only problem I have with this story is that a ham and cheese sandwich could never be too hammy or cheesy and mustard breath is not a bad thing. Other than that, this book is perfect. Margie Palatini writes truly fun pieces that any reader, child or otherwise, could truly relate to and enjoy. This is a great piece. It makes me imagine my perfect meal, which would include plenty of ham, cheese, and mustard I assure you.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did your mom ever say you couldn't leave the table until you finished your lunch? Well, Zak is in this predicament. Meanshile, he has an incredible daydream about eating lunch at a made-to-order diner. Unfortunately, his ham and cheese sandwich is still sitting there when he returns to reality. But does he end up eating his sandwich??

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantastic story of a boy avoiding his ham and cheese sandwich. Girls loved it. His imagination had no bounds when it comes to the food at the diner in his dreams. Borders at times on icky. Maybe that is why it's Zak's lunch instead of Zelda's.

[Cana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mommy says: Margie Palatini has written a few funny, clever, fun-to-read-aloud books, but this is not one of them. In the majority of her stories, she overdoes it with the annoying alliteration, and it distracts from the story. The kids don't like it any more than I do.

[Kristen Edge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love! Love! Love this book! I use this book to help me teach desccriptive languge in writing. The author does such a wonderful job describing Zak's Place: the imagined restaurant. The waitress, the dog, and all of the wonderful food make this a favorite of my students!

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zak wants a more exciting lunch than ham and cheese and his desire transports him to Zak's Place, where Lou, the waitress and Cookie, the cook, are willing to cater to all of Zak's whims.

A humorous story which also includes lush, descriptive language

[Jojo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun book for my students and me. We've been practicing our reading comprehension strategies with the Margie Palatini books and having a good time doing so.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/...

[Patrick]

Read the book to a kindergarten class....they all laughed and loved it.

[Bruce Bloome · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun read-aloud that may make you hungry for more.