THIS IS A GREAT PLACE FOR A HOT DOG STAND

Izzy, sick of working in a toy factory, decides to open a hot dog stand. After a long search, he finally finds the perfect place for it—squeezed in between two buildings—where it becomes everybody's favorite hangout. Then he learns that the block is going to be torn down so a mall can be built. Desperate, Izzy seeks out Madame Moola Moo—the owner of the property—and tries to persuade her to save his hot dog stand by giving her a ``tofu dog with sauerkraut, mustard, and grilled onions.'' The plan works, and leaves everybody happy. The hot dogs, the quirky characters, the familiar story—everything in this friendly parody—points to New York City, although the setting depicted in the illustrations is clearly a different planet. With multicolored, oddly shaped buildings and funny-looking cartoon creatures with pointy ears or pointy noses and beady eyes, the residents and residences are a unique lot, but their concerns are part of every neighborhood. (Picture book. 5-8)