Sam's Sandwich

Sam & Samantha

by David Pelham

This delicious novelty has had a long shelf life. When Samantha needs a really special treat to munch on, her devious brother Sam knows just what to a sandwich with everything on it. A sandwich-shaped, foldout book, Sam?s Sandwich invites young readers to peel back the lettuce, tomato, and other ingredients to discover Sam?s rhyming, crawling surprises.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Food, Fiction, Poetry, Storytime, Family

24 pages, Board Book

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

British illustrator and Penguin Books Art Director from 1968 to 1979.

Reviews

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book! Sam's mischievous brother helps her make a sandwich, but slips all sorts of creepy crawlies in along the way. The book is shaped like a sandwich and the pages are shaped like all sorts of sandwich fillers (cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc.) with flaps to lift. The rhyming text makes it fun for kids to guess what is hidden under the flaps on each page. My kids love the "gross" aspect of this book.

[Lady Melee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable story of a sibling prank. Very humorous and is cute quick read.

We do this book for preschool storytime and always good a few giggles and a few ewwws.
We make paper cutouts of all of the "ingredients" and one of us will put the sandwich together as the other one reads.

At the end of the story we always remind the kids that this is a story and not anything they should try to do to anyone.

[Chelsea Donovan]

A quick read to enhance my chances of completing my Reading Challenge this year 😂

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

My mom pulled this one out and I remember loving it as a kid but it’s kind of gross and mean.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I suppose children need to learn to watch out for sociopaths at some point...

[Alicia Evans · Rating 2 out of 5]

For: readers looking for a gross pop-up book.

Possible red flags: gross out humor; mean-spirited siblings.

[Megan Kafka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rate Sam’s Sandwich by David Pellham as 4 stars. This clever and well-illustrated book falls into the picture book genre and is appropriate for ages about three to seven. It is a story about a brother named Sam who is making a sandwich for his hungry little sister, Samantha. As he is adding ingredients, he slips in some pretty nasty items. This is a silly rhyming book that is interactive and allows young readers to dig through the illustrated and folded pages to discover what extra treats Sam has hidden in his sister’s sandwich.

This is a book that I personally own and that I remember my mother reading to me as a child. I still have the book that is slightly tattered from the many times I opened it as a child. The book itself is shaped like a sandwich with the front and back covers being slices of bread. Each page of the book represents a different ingredient on the sandwich and has folded edges for the child to unfold and discover what extra item Sam slipped onto the sandwich. The pages include lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, watercress, cucumbers, hard-boiled eggs, salami, onions, and ketchup. Each page has a different color and shape to resemble the ingredient it represents. The folding on each page is different to give the child a more interactive experience in looking for the hidden item on each page. The book is silly and may be gross or disgusting to some children to imagine really eating such things as the bugs that Sam adds to the sandwich. The rhyming text for each page is short and the final word of each page is intentionally missing as this represents the name of the item hidden in the ingredient. It is exciting to find the item and shout out the final word. The shape of the book, the pages, the colors, and folded corners of pages provide children with the opportunity to participate and discover.

I would consider using this book in an Art/ Reading activity where students could create their own book sandwich, making each page an ingredient of their choice and hiding silly items within the pages.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t know why this book isn’t more well known. It has completely captivated my four year old. You are essentially turning a book into a sandwich while you read. Sort of like a book with flaps where you find insects, only more nifty. Any child who has a sibling will look on in humorous horror at what a brother can do to his sister. You do have to be mindful of all the fold outs, as far as mitigating damage...but who cares. That’s why you buy books for your kids. So they will love on them and love reading. Buy a new copy if things get out of hand.

[Jvermeersch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this one! A picture book with the front and back cover designed as sandwiches. In between cut-out pages for different types of sandwich filling. Each page with a little rhyme and a sneaky surprise to be discovered under its folds, added by Sam as a way of teasing his sister. So mischievous and funny, made me giggle at every page. Beautifully illustrated. And so wonderfully well written. Loved it.

[Molly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sam helps his sister make a sandwich, adding some not so savory ingredients such as worms and bugs that can be seen under the "lift-and-flap" pages. I really wasn't a fan of this book. Sam is being mean spirited and it is presented as funny. That is not funny to me and I wouldn't want to encourage this kind of behavior in kids.

[Emily May · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very fun rhyming interactive book, if a bit mean-spirited (Sam makes a sandwich for his sister and hides loads of different bugs in it). My kids really enjoyed the layout of the book, which looks like a sandwich with each page being a different layer with flaps to lift. We've read it every day since I got it.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sam's sister is hungry so Sam makes her a sandwich with so ingredients that might surprise you.
With a page that folds out for each ingredient, you finish this rhyme-filled book and have a lovely sandwich which is likely more appetizing than the sandwich Sam makes.

[Kyle Bramley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely way to introduce children to mini-beasts and healthy food options for sandwiches. My little girl loves the rhymes in this book and going hunting in the garden to see if we can find any of the characters.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun "fold-out" book with a very "special" sandwich that Sam creates for his sister with extra tasty treats! Funny and cute. My kids and grandkids have loved this book until it's tattered and torn.

[K.C. Gardner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always tell the children, "It's not a good idea, but it makes for a funny story!"

[Ivory · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about food and brothers. A silly story that has a nice rhyme going. A nice class library book for younger ages.
Copyright: 1990

[Richard Ingram · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite book as a child, never got bored reading it and I still have my copy of it.

[kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

An odd but fun one

[molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book. fun. interesting. interactive. engaging. fun for all ages! highly recommend, worth a read.

[Adam Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Pelham's Sam series is Amazing! My students and children love them. This one I believe started it all. The rhyming couplets get students involved in guessing and interested in the story.

[Mathea Mae · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my childhood favorites 😍

[Joel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mom’s gross-out childhood favorite. Joel-approved.

[Danica Midlil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clever

[Miss Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Samantha is making a sandwich with her brother Sam. However she doesn't realize the creeps slimy things he is adding to the sandwich.

[Kaitlyn Runion · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my childhood favorites I just got for my own kiddos.

[Jessica Serrano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any girl who has a big brother like Sam knows the pains Samantha goes through just to make a sandwich. This flip book gives children an interactive way to see what creepy crawly things Sam is putting into Samantha's sandwich as shes making it. For every ingredient, Sam finds something new to put in the sandwich. This is a cute book, my daughter really enjoyed, having a big brother she knows the daily struggles of being slowly tortured.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Different from what I am used to.

[Slpbooknook.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been in my personal library for a long time. I primarily used this book in speech therapy with kids working on /s/ sounds. Sam's Sandwich is full of /s/ and /s/ blend words. There are about 10 initial position /s/ words and about 15 /s/ blend words. As an added bonus, most pages contains rhyming words and great adjectives. This book would probably work best for kids Pre-K through 3rd grade as far as interest level.

The kids will love guessing what comes next. The book is actually built like a sandwich and each page is one of the ingredients (lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, onions, etc). Sam, the main character, is making a sandwich for his sister and hides different bugs and slimy critters in each layer. They get to guess what he has hidden and the pages fold out to reveal it. I know.... sounds creepy! But the kids get a huge kick out of it!

[Siskiyou-Suzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this ridiculous little book! It's so much fun with all the flaps and ingredients. I had it around a classroom for a little bit, impressed it wasn't torn to shreds. The kids really enjoyed it, and I do too.

[Allie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Someone gave me this book and Sam's Surprise for my birthday (I think) when I was little and I can't even count how many times I read it! In fact I think I could probably recite the whole book from memory! I will definitely use it for a class visit in the future. I can't wait to gross out/entertain a whole new generation.