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Two for Stew
by Laura Numeroff
(Check Catalog)

Because the restaurant has no more stew, and the grandmother who makes it is out for the evening, two friends find a different way to enjoy themselves.

SLJ Reviews 1996 December
K-Gr 3-Theater lights and toe-tapping rhythm are almost a part of this lilting text made of rhyming quatrains. A young woman takes her poodle to a big-city restaurant that's famous for its "chunky, yet creamy" stew. Alas, the restaurant is out of it. The waiter tries to entice her with other mouth-watering entrees, to no avail. He finally confesses that his grandma makes the stew from an old recipe, and the customer pleads, "We just never knew./Can we go to her house/And ask for some stew?" He agrees, but before they can leave on his motorcycle, they see grandma heading for the bowling alley in her 1950's purple Cadillac convertible and take off after her. The text rollicks along with different fonts effectively representing the conversations of the young woman and the waiter. Murdocca has made this selection a feast for the eyes. The stylized watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations depict New York City streets and buildings. A chorus line of chef/angels against a city skyline backdrop promotes the colorful imagery. Two for Stew must be shared aloud. It would be great read by an older girl and boy to primary groups. This book has all the trappings of a Broadway musical.-Betty Teague, Blythe Academy of Languages, Greenville, SC