Secret Pizza Party
by Adam Rubin (Author) Daniel Salmieri (Illustrator)
How does Racoon love pizza? Oh, let him count the ways. He loves the gooey cheesy-ness, salty pepperoni-ness, sweet sweet tomato-ness, and of course the crispity crunchity crust. But someone is always chasing poor Raccoon away from his favorite food with a broom! What's a hungry raccoon to do? Plan an elaborate secret pizza party, of course!
But shhh! It's a secret! In fact, you should probably just forget I told you. Nope, no secret pizza party happening here.You didn't already tell all your friends, did you? Uh oh . . .
Fans of Jon Klassen and Mo Willems's humor will gobble up this quirky ode to the lengths we will go to for our heart's desire.
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Publishers Weekly
"Poor Raccoon. All he wants in life is some pizza." And who can blame him? Pizza is its own breed of perfect: "So beautiful, you could hang it on the wall of a museum," (Salmieri mounts a slice between a Picasso and a Matisse). "So convenient, you could eat it in the bathtub." The narrator--who is undoubtedly related to the same skewed logician who explained the dragon-taco connection in Dragons Love Tacos--decides that what Raccoon needs is a secret pizza party: "So folks don't show up to bonk you with brooms" (something that happens to him with alarming regularity) and because "When you make something secret, you make it special." There's just one catch: Raccoon has to get the pizza, and he's a wanted pizza thief. Although not up to the silly sublimity of their previous efforts--the pacing is a bit slack, and the ending slapdash--Rubin and Salmieri still score plenty of comic points with their deadpan riffs, offbeat asides, and singleminded hero who can't catch a gooey, cheesy break. Ages 3-5. Agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Sept.)
Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
School Library Journal
Gr 1-4--Raccoon, paws and nose pressed plaintively to the glass, stares longingly into a pizza parlor. His nemesis, the Pizza Man, chases him off with a broom, and an unseen narrator rhapsodizes, "Ah, pizza... So beautiful, you could hang it on the wall of a museum. So convenient you could eat it in the bathtub." Raccoon reappears looking forlorn, and the narrator suggests a pizza party at Raccoon's house-a secret pizza party because, "When you make something secret, you make it special. Regular handshake: Boring. Secret handshake: Booyah!" Wearing stilts and a trench coat, Raccoon absconds with a stolen pizza only to discover an enormous SECRET PIZZA PARTY happening nearby. Unfortunately, he is unable to play it cool and blows his disguise as he rolls around in a pizza-induced frenzy. He flees from the broom-wielding mob (led by the Pizza Man), but his armload of pizza and giant grin prove that he has no regrets. Because the narrator converses directly with Raccoon, listeners are aligned with him and identify with the roguish creature. The skillful gouache-and-ink compositions are full of sly details and visual humor. It's hard not to giggle at scenes like the lanky pizza man with angry eyebrows and a handlebar mustache rolling out dough while glaring at a "Wanted" poster featuring the raccoon. With a casually diverse cast of characters, Secret Pizza Party is a sure hit for primary-grade kids, who will appreciate the subtle humor and absurdity.--Anna Haase Krueger, Ramsey County Library, White Bear Lake, MN
Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Review quotes
Praise for Secret Pizza Party
* "With a casually diverse cast of characters, Secret Pizza Party is a sure hit for primary-grade kids, who will appreciate the subtle humor and absurdity."—School Library Journal, starred review
"From the madcap creators of Dragons Love Tacos (2012), another animal foodie shows just how far he will go to get his favorite meal. This screwball of a story will leave readers hankering for a slice."—Kirkus Reviews
Praise for Dragons Love Tacos
New York Times bestseller
A New York Times Notable Children's Book of 2012
Summer Kids' Indie Next List
"This book gets everything right."—New York Times Book Review
* "Rubin and Salmieri are two of the weirdest, funniest guys working in kids' lit today."—Publishers Weekly, starred review
"A heaping helping of silly."—San Francisco Chronicle
"Muy caliente."—Daily Candy Kids
Adam Rubin is the author of Those Darn Squirrels and Those Darn Squirrels and the Cat Next Door. A major celebrity in the squirrel community, he lives in New York City.
Daniel Salmieri painted the squirrels in his backyard to prepare for this book, and they were annoyed. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. Visit his website at www.danielsalmieri.com.JUV002360 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Nocturnal
JUV050000 - Juvenile Fiction | Cooking & Food
Parties
Secrecy
Secrets
Raccoon
Pizza
