Mark Alan Stamaty

"Who Needs Donuts? - A rhetorical question, surely!

Originally published in 1973, Mark Alan Stamaty's hilariously surreal picture book follows young Sam, who "lived with his family in a nice house," but longed for more donuts than his parents could provide. Venturing into the city, looking for donuts, Sam falls in with maverick donut-collector Mr. Bikferd, wandering the streets with his cart...

"Who needs donuts when you've got love?" demands a sad old woman they pass, and sure enough, Mr. show more Bikferd - having met and instantly fallen in love with Pretzel Annie - soon abandons his quest for donuts. Now Sam, far from home and in possession of a mountain of donuts he can't eat, wonders what to do...

The illustrations in Who Needs Donuts? are eye-poppingly detailed, and young readers will enjoy poring over them, picking out the many clever little bits of text - in signs, on tee-shirts - that Stamaty has included. I discovered this underground classic, which has something of a cult following among children's literature devotees, a few years ago, and, despite the fact that it was recently reprinted, had been looking about me for an original, vintage copy. Imagine my surprise and delight when I finally found it, the same day I had been frantically searching for those lovely little home-made donuts at the farmer's market near work. Sadly, I didn't find the donuts, but the serendipity of the moment did not escape me. show less

At first I thought "a picture book about Elvis?? Do kids even care about Elvis?" But this turns out to be a graphic novel about how music changed the author's life as a boy, specifically the birth of rock and roll and and especially Elvis Presley's talent. He makes it a personal and funny story: his mother can't stand Elvis' music, he does his hair up like Elvis and practices "air" performances in his bedroom with a tennis racket. The best part is his air performance at the Cub Scout dinner. show more By now readers will want to see his much-hyped 4th grade class picture, and the author doesn't disappoint, providing the story after the story. Like the spirit of early rock and roll, the pictures and text are bold, big, noisy and fill every page. Very fun. show less

I'm not sure if I could pinpoint exactly why I enjoyed this book so much as a child, or why my affection for it hasn't waned over the decades. Maybe it's the playful alliteration, or the absurdity of the macaroni curse that still feels grounded enough in reality to be an actual thing. A lot of it probably has to do with Stamaty's artwork, carefully balanced with busy yet concrete imagery that somehow manages to convey the... feel... of New York City. I couldn't rationalize it if I tried. But show more along with Who Needs Donuts?, this remains one of my fondest literary memories of my childhood. In all honesty, it probably says more about me than it does the book. If you've never read it, find it and share it with your child. It will stick with them. show less

This book was visually amazing. While the story of Sam and his quest for donuts throughout the big city is a entertaining tale that focuses on the love for others, the artwork steals the show. Not only complimenting the text, the art creates its own unique world filled with busy life and quirky play on words, such as "Boulevard Bowl of Lard." Several times I found myself becoming lost within the illustrations, trying to keep track of the twisting street signs and peculiar pedestrians. This show more book would be perfect for a child to discover. show less