Pete's a Pizza and More William Steig Stories

Scholastic DVD Review for Parents

• "Pete's a Pizza," narrated by Chevy Chase: When Pete is in a bad mood, his parents cheer him up by making him into a pizza.
• "Doctor De Soto": Everyone's favorite mouse-dentist helps a fox with a sore tooth. The fox has a plan to eat the mouse, but Doctor De Soto has a plan of his own.
• "The Amazing Bone," narrated by John Lithgow: Pearl befriends a talking bone she finds in the woods. When a hungry fox captures them, they must figure out a way to escape.

The Pete's a Pizza... DVD recounts three imaginative stories by William Steig in a way that is true to the books and fun for kids. The stories are also enhanced with fitting music backgrounds. Some of the narration is slightly quiet, but the audio quality is good overall.

While the first two stories are perfectly kid safe, parents should know that "The Amazing Bone" contains a brief scene where some unrealistically animated robbers are wielding guns and knives. Also, the wolf uses the expression "shut up," and the knife he plans to use in preparing the pig for dinner is briefly shone. The scenes are straight out of the story book, though, and the DVD menu requires choosing each story to play, so this one could easily be skipped if parents had any concerns.

• Watch the stories on the DVD after reading them with your child, or after your child learns to read them.
• Help your child recognize the voice inflections and expression the narrators use in telling the story. Point out how reading is more than just saying the words, but it is also making the story come alive.
• Help kids compare and contrast these three stories by the same author. This exercise helps them develop critical thinking skills and also learn about the elements of stories and books.