BUN, ONION, BURGER

A disappointingly ho-hum salute to that summertime classic, the hamburger. Sparse rhyming text spotlights a backyard barbeque shared by exuberant family and friends. “Mustard… / pickle… / mushroom… / swiss cheese. // Slowly… / pouring… / ketchup… / Say please!” Salty French fries and cold lemonade complete the meal. Throughout, the family’s canine closely follows the action, hoping for a burger of his own. Eliopoulos’s busy illustrations are filled with the greens, reds and browns that epitomize barbeques, but his blocky, Hanna-Barbera–aesthetic characters are regrettably wooden. In addition, the text and pictures do not always jibe well—“Raw, rare, medium” all describe the states of the burgers, but then a turn of the page for “well-done” shows the family hoisting glasses of lemonade. On full spreads, the few scattered words of text occasionally get lost. The enthusiasm and expression of the black-and-white dog just may keep readers interested…if they can get past the fact that his spotted eye keeps shifting from one side of his face to the other. Skip this—buy burgers and fixings instead. (Picture book. 3-6)