cover image Pass the Celery, Ellery!

Pass the Celery, Ellery!

Gaga, Jeffrey Fisher, Jeff Fisher. Stewart, Tabori, & Chang, $14.95 (48pp) ISBN 978-1-58479-031-0

Snappy design, an eye-popping palette and loopy rhymes characterize this high-concept picture book based on a favorite game of the author's family. ""Around the table, one by one/ Match food to name until you're done."" Foraging through the alphabet, Gaga and friends emerge with a series of jaunty pairings that begin with ""Pass the abalone, Tony"" and end with ""Pass the zabaglione, Joni."" Their punchy combinations (nutmeg/Oleg, veal/Emile) provide plenty of ammunition to fire readers' imaginations. Fisher's simple blocks of mouth-watering colors (in plum, salmon and cherry red hues) belie the sophisticated compositions. He extends the playful conceit and displays a keen eye for the absurd. Great swathes of color create striking backdrops for the hand-lettered text and images of a man with a giant drumstick slung over his shoulder (""Pass the meat, Pete"") and a poodle-skirted woman tugging at a strand of endless pasta that spells out ""Pass the spaghetti, Betty."" Whole sentences alternate with single words arranged in a checkerboard pattern or scattered across the pages. One part abecedary, one part dinner table diversion, one part eye candy, this recipe adds up to one fun book. All ages. (Oct.)