Maria Dismondy

Summary:
Spaghetti in a Hotdog Bun, is a cute and funny take about loving who you are, and being kind to others. The story follows a young girl named Lucy, who has big curly hair, and who likes to eat things that others may not think is good. Her favorite sandwhich is spaghetti in a hot dog bun. Lucy lives with her Papa Gino, and he has taught her that everyone has a heart, and everyone has feelings, so you must be kind to everyone. In school, Lucy is being picked on by a grumpy boy named show more Ralph. Ralph makes fun of Lucy’s hair, and what she eats; it causes Lucy to cry and to feel bad. One day Ralph gets stuck on the monkey bars, and Lucy decides to be the bigger person, and help him down. As Lucy goes home that day, Ralph gives her an picture he colored, and Lucy is so proud of herself for being a kind person.

Personal Reactions:
I thought that Spaghetti in a Hotdog Bun, was a very charming story. The vivid illustrations were beautiful to look at, and I loved how the illustrator created Lucy and her big hair. I grew up having self esteem issues, and I know how looking different can affect a child. I think it is a crucial lesson to learn how to love yourself for you are, and to love the differences in everyone else. That lesson is perfectly conveyed in this story, and I loved reading it to all my children.

Extension Ideas:
This story is the perfect story to teach about how to except others for who they are. One activity that I have found, and that I would love to do with my class, is to pass out a cut out of spaghetti in a hotdog bun. On one side of the bun, each student has to write something that they may like, but others may not. On the other side, they have to write something that they don’t like, but others do; then we will share with the class. In the story what made Lucy unique and “different”, was her bigger hair, as well as her taste in food. A fun activity to do with the class is to do a collage on what makes each child unique. I would gather up magazines for the students to look through, and find pictures that represent them. Then we will each show the class our collages, and talk about what makes us unique and different than everyone else. show less

I really enjoyed reading Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun by Maria Dismondy for a couple of reasons. First, I thought the main character Lucy was extremely relatable and well developed. Lucy is known for her big curly hair and strange taste in food of which includes spaghetti in a hot dog bun, or ketchup on toast. These strange habits alienate her from her peers, and she becomes a victim of bullying. As a result of the teasing, Lucy becomes more introverted and unwilling to go to school. However, show more in the end Lucy decides to stand up for herself after being so frustrated with the bully Ralph. I think that the character growth Lucy displayed shows children that sometimes it’s necessary to defend yourself if you are being bullied. I also liked the illustrations because it enhanced the overall message of the story. For example, when Lucy was irritated with the bullying, the reader can clearly see her emotions; Lucy’s demeanor in the drawing was reserved, sad, and defeated. On the other hand, the other students were happy and chatty. This allows the reader to fully understand the negative affect bullying had on Lucy. Because this book is catered to children, I think that the underlying message of being accepting of differences is a very important concept to grasp. I liked this book because I believe that it accurately described bullying and the effects it has on people. It also pushes the reader to analyze their own behavior towards their peers, and how their own words can affect someone else. show less

Yay for anti-bullying, but I feel that the delivery of the message fell flat. I'm seeing way too many of these anti-bullying books that are all like "kill them with kindness" and shit, and from personal experience, I can tell you that that kind of shit doesn't work as well as all these books say.

The artwork itself has a weird, amateurish feel to it. No, I'm not talking about art style, every artist has their style, but there's a certain unrefined feel to the art, especially with some of the show more backgrounds and anatomy.

One final commentary - and THIS had no bearing on my rating for this book - spaghetti in a hot-dog bun, at least packed as a school lunch, sounds pretty gross and unappealing. I could see a fresh-made sandwich being pretty tasty, but after a few hours the bun would get all nasty and soggy. There's a reason why Subway has their 'Made Fresh' pitch. show less

Lucy is being teased at school by Ralph, especially because of her unusual eating habits, like putting spaghetti in a hot dog bun for lunch. But when the tables are turned and Ralph is in a jam, what will Lucy do?

This is a nice story in terms of showing off positive behaviors and good character choices. However, it does seem a little heavy-handed at times, leaning into the 'telling' instead of the 'showing.' Then again, given that the target audience is young elementary school-age children, show more this may not be a bad idea.

The illustrations aren't really my style, but they are fine. show less