More Pies!

Carol-Ann Hoyte is a children’s bookseller in Montreal.

Samuel wakes up with an appetite that won’t quit. After eating large
servings of breakfast, he asks his mother to prepare seven fried
chickens. She sends him outside to play instead. When Samuel’s little
brother finds him rolling around on the grass still hungry, he suggests
that Samuel compete in the pie-eating contest in the park. At the event,
Samuel wins the contest against three adult contestants, and wins the
prize—a big pie. Upon his return home, he discovers that you can have
too much of a good thing: as a surprise, his mother has baked him some
pies for lunch.

Hunger and overeating, conditions to which children and adults alike
can relate, form the basis of the book’s universal appeal and humor.
In the following line spoken by Samuel, Munsch truly sums up that moment
when a person has eaten enough but is still tempted to eat more: “I am
not starving anymore, but more pies still sounds like a good idea.”

Munsch dedicates this book to Samuel Or of Vancouver, a young fan who
wrote him a letter while Munsch was developing the book. Martchenko
honors the city by incorporating mountains, totem poles, and elements of
its transportation system into his bright, comical illustrations. The
artist also makes references to himself and the author, and includes
treats for Munsch fans. The story’s
“Chuka–chuka–chuka–chuka–chuka–chuka–CHOMP!” refrain
(the sound of the contestants eating as fast as they can) invites
participation from readers and makes the book ideal for use at
storytimes. Recommended.