Banjo Cannon’s very ordered life gets upset when his dinner sausage, Melvin, jumps off the plate, runs away, and is chased by the fork, knife, plate, table, chair, and a hungry little boy. The rest of Banjo’s food, his par ents, the cat, and a neighbor’s dog join the pursuit, which ends with some mishaps and some narrow escapes for the runaway dinner. The tone of the story is chatty and conversational. The abundance of absurdities in the text (each of the peas, carrots, and French fries also has a name) and the action packed acrylic illustrations, with animated food and other objects, add to the fun. Ahlberg was a recipient of the 1986 Kurt Maschler Award with Janet Ahlberg. Ingman was awarded a UK National Art Library Illustrator’s Award and the Mother Goose Award. ca, hc

Originally published by Walker Books Great Britain, in 2006.