Product Description

How far would you go to get your favorite snack?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #415165 in Books
• Published on: 2000-04-01
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .41" h x 8.72" w x 11.42" l, .97 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 40 pages

From Amazon.com
Jimmy Zangwow is bound and determined to get his hands on his favorite snack: Moon Pies and milk. After his mother refuses his pre-dinner request, Jimmy stomps off to sulk aboard his secret project, a flying junk jumbilee jalopy. "Holy macaroni!" The next thing he knows he's hurtling off to space, toward the moon... and "Mmm! Moon Pies." A hilariously digressive dialogue with sleepy, hard-of-hearing Mr. Moon results in Jimmy scoring a thousand Moon Pies. But our hungry hero's troubles are not over yet. Run-ins with Mars Men and the dreaded Grimble Grinder are yet in store. And then there's the issue of how to get back to Earth and his brussels-sprout-noodle-bean casserole dinner.

Tony DiTerlizzi paints like a very, very twisted Norman Rockwell. His freckle-faced Jimmy Zangwow, clad in denim shorts, airplane goggles, and red cowboy boots, appeals to every adventurer, big or small, humanoid or alien. This zany escapade proves that with powerful motivation (and what could be a stronger incentive than the promise of Moon Pies?), a generous heart, and a resourceful mind, anything is possible. (Ages 5 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly
This delightful romp follows red-haired, freckle-faced, goggle-wearing Jimmy Zangwow, budding inventor and adventurer, on a passionate search for his favorite treat, which his mother forbids him to eat before dinner. DiTerlizzi gets the details just right in his debut book. Framed in a white border, the opening illustrations evoke advertisements from the '50s, complete with Jimmy's mother standing on the checkered linoleum kitchen floor in dress, apron and bedroom slippers, fixing dinner, glass milk bottles on the counter beside her. No sooner does the disgruntled Jimmy board his "junk jumbilee jalopy" and say "I wish I could go to the moon and get my own Moon Pies" than the machine rockets off the ground. The illustrations then become full-spread chronicles of the hero's travels (various continents are labeled below, and the equator is clearly visible). First he visits Mr. Moon (a crescent-shaped fellow depicted as a giant visage, sporting spectacles, a star-spangled nightcap and green crater-capped pajamas) and acquires 1,000 Moon Pies; next the Milky Way in search of milk; then Mars, where he encounters Mars Men and the fearsome Grimble Grinder. Jimmy discovers his love of Moon Pies is universal; he makes a number of extraterrestrial friends and saves the day by giving away every one of his treats. His friends then combine their efforts to send him back just in time for dinner and that special dessert. Children will see the galaxy in a whole new light after this wild flight. Ages 5-8. (Apr.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2-Jimmy loves Moon Pies so much that when his mother refuses him one before dinner, he finds himself hurling into outer space toward the moon itself. After a brief conversation with Mr. Moon, the boy drives away with 1000 Moon Pies. "Gadzooks! A whole year's supply!" he exclaims. While scooping up milk in the Milky Way, he crashes onto a planet crowded with 999 Mars Men who happen to share his love for the tasty cakes. Jimmy shares his treats just as the dreaded Grimble Grinder arrives. Fearing that the monster wants to eat him and the Mars Men, the boy offers him a Moon Pie instead, which turns out to be exactly what he'd wanted. His new friends make him a "Moon-Pie-wrapper balloon" that gets Jimmy home in time for dinner. The dialogue includes quirky sayings like "Holy macaroni!" and "Jumping june bugs!," which young readers will relish. Large double-page watercolor, gouache, and colored-pencil illustrations enhance the story. DiTerlizzi uses various perspectives to show just how tall the Grimble Grinder really is and to send readers topsy-turvy through space. With its repetitive text and large illustrations, the story is great fun for group sharing.
Linda M. Kenton, San Rafael Public Library, CA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.