Review by New York Times Review
FOR SOME ADULTS (including this reviewer), there are few more stressful words than "party." Just being invited to one stirs up all kinds of anxiety: Who will be there? What should I wear? Must I attend? And of course: How long am I required to stay? Children, however, have no such ambivalence. For theunder-12 set, all parties are equally wonderful. I have never met a child who expressed anything other than unalloyed enthusiasm when invited to one. They never ask who will be in attendance or what will be served. Except in the case of costume parties, sartorial questions are rarely fretted over. For a child, parties follow a predictable sequence of events: They are invited, attend, consume too much junk food, possibly vomit, return home, collapse. Oddly enough, this is exactly how adults party; yet somewhere along the way the process becomes less fun, until for many of us the idea of a party is only slightly less repellent than a trip to the oxymoronically named amusement park. But my ire toward those torturous places will have to wait for another review. Three new children's books celebrate parties, drawing different lessons from their promise. The Newbery Medal winner Linda Sue Park offers a sweet lesson on multiculturalism with "Xander's Panda Party," a gentle rhyming story in which Xander, a panda (best pronounced with a slight Brooklyn accent, as in "Xander the pander"), decides to throw a panda party, "a dandy whoop-de-do," but quickly realizes he is the only panda at the zoo. Because a party of one would not be any fun, he expands his guest list, first to all the bears at the zoo, then - quite illogically - upon learning that koala bears are actually marsupials, to all mammals, and eventually to every creature in residence. Although presents aren't exchanged at Xander's party, at book's end he does receive an unexpected surprise. The book's best present to its readers is Matt Phelan's expressive and delightful watercolors, my favorite of which is a deadpan assembly of Xander with a waddle of blank-faced penguins. Claudia Boldt's "You're a Rude Pig, Bertie!" explores the perils of the guest list from a different perspective, that of a boorish pig who has managed to offend nearly every animal in town. Bertie has never met anyone he could not insult: "Long time no see, Mrs. Breun. You look older!" is a typical greeting. Oblivious to hurt feelings, Bertie softens when he meets Ruby, "the cutest rabbit he had ever seen," and he decides to throw a huge party to impress her. Predictably, nobody shows up. Miserable, Bertie retires to bed, where he is visited in a dream by a vision of his toothbrush, which gives him a Jacob Marley-esque dressing down. Properly chastised, Bertie attempts to make amends with the townsfolk. Although a touch ham-handed, "You're a Rude Pig, Bertie!" offers young readers a lesson in the perils of porcine comportment and the power of love to change even the heart of a swine. A different sort of rascal is the star of the silly "Secret Pizza Party" Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri, the writer-illustrator pair behind the popular "Dragons Love Tacos," team up again to tell the tale of a pizza-loving raccoon's attempt to host a secret pizza party, the kind in which raccoons are considered guests of honor rather than disreputable pizza-stealing varmints. This laugh-out-loud story follows the unlucky raccoon through close calls with grumpy humans and broom-wielding robots alike. To my mind, picture books shouldn't be too educational, and readers are unlikely to learn anything from this one, though they will be reminded of the undebatable fact that pizza is among our greatest foods, and far and away the very best party food. One thing that does not change from childhood to adulthood: The best parties are pizza parties. This raccoon may not have the best table manners, but he certainly knows how to have a good time. From the whimsical to the absurd, young party animals will find much to enjoy in each of these books. Even I, as cranky a partygoer as ever there was, found myself inspired to strap on my dancing shoes after closing their final pages. These three beastly boys fight hard for their right to party, never questioning whether the effort is worth the trouble. Perhaps they believe that a good party is its own reward. It is a moral that certain adults would be well advised to take to heart. MICHAEL IAN BLACK is the author, most recently, of "You're Not Doing It Right," a memoir, and "I'm Bored," a picture book.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [September 15, 2013]
Review by Booklist Review
Raccoon, who loves pizza but finds himself bashed with brooms every time he pinches a piece, decides to throw himself a secret pizza party. He devises a clever heist and successfully navigates the chase home, only to discover his celebration is missing people to share his pizza. Luckily, he notices a crowd next door wearing masks just like Raccoon's and eating lots of pizza! The creators of Dragons Love Tacos (2012) offer another zany salute to a popular food. Salmieri's gouache, watercolor, and colored pencil artwork features vivid colors, often set off against dark backgrounds signaling Raccoon's nocturnal habits. Although the plot meanders a bit, children aren't likely to mind given all the clever gadgets and outrageous scenarios depicted (in one scene Raccoon lounges atop a serving table, devouring multiple slices of pizza while the human guests stare speechless). This will be popular with pizza aficionados; pair with William Steig's Pete's a Pizza (1998) or Charlotte Voake's Pizza Kittens (2002).--Weisman, Kay Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
"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.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-A delightfully weird ode to pizza translated from picture book to screen. It features a pizza-obsessed raccoon who, being a raccoon, is denied his favorite food by broom-wielding humans. The unseen narrator rhapsodizes about pizza, "So beautiful you could hang it on the wall in a museum," but then realizes that he is adding to the raccoon's misery. The narrator then suggests that they plan a pizza party-a secret pizza party because, "When you keep something secret, you make it special. Regular handshake: Boring. Secret handshake: Booyah!" The six-minute video has narrated and read-along versions, which highlights the text at the bottom of the screen accompanying the voiceover. Adam Verner enthusiastically narrates without crossing over into acting it out, preserving the storybook experience. The static artwork from Adam Rubin's book (Dial, 2013) is used, but subtle movements every few seconds keep viewers engaged and provide a new experience with what may be a familiar title. This adaptation does a particularly good job adding expression to the characters simply by animating their eyes. Though short, this film is well done, and would be just the right length to show to preschoolers at a pizza party-a secret pizza party.-Anna Haase Krueger, Ramsey County Library, White Bear Lake, MN (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Trying to avoid the pizza man's swatting broom, Raccoon plots a secret pizza party and successfully makes off with a fresh, hot pie. Once home, Raccoon discovers his neighbors having their own none-too-secret masked pizza party, which he promptly crashes. Despite the odd plot, readers will enjoy Raccoon's unbridled, desperate love of pizza humorously conveyed by the wacky art. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book 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. Raccoon loves pizza. He can't get enough of the "gooey cheesy-ness, salty pepperoni-ness, sweet, sweet tomato-ness and crispity, crunchity crust." Alas, there is one thing that stands between Raccoon and his pizza--human beings. More specifically, human beings with brooms. They always chase him away! How will Raccoon ever get his paws on the delectable dish that he desires? By throwing a secret pizza party, of course. After donning an elaborate disguise in order to get the pizza, then following an even more elaborate escape route riddled with obstacles (past the broom factory, over the broom enthusiasts club), Raccoon is finally ready for his SECRET PIZZA PARTY! (Shhhhh, it's a secret, remember?) But before taking a bite, he sees a masquerade ball going on right outside his tree. Will his built-in mask and wily ways help him get even more pizza? Salmieri's droll illustrations capture Raccoon in many moods: quiet desperation with his nose pressed longingly against the pizza parlor's window, furtive, trench-coated scheming. And yes, finally, deliriously happy, cheesy gluttony. This screwball of a story will leave readers hankering for a slice. (Picture book. 3-6)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
