Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie R. Wheadon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Deliciously funny read about one raccoon's quest for pizza.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 3+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
All Raccoon wants is some pizza -- no, lots of pizza, all the time. He's so infamous for his quest that a wanted sign hangs in the local pizza parlor. When the narrator suggests that he have a pizza party at his house that night -- a SECRET PIZZA PARTY -- the shenanigans begin and the brooms start flying.
Is It Any Good?
The storytelling doesn't flow as well as in Dragons Love Tacos, but Secret Pizza Party is still as irresistible as a pie with your favorite toppings. The delicious language -- "sweet sassy molassy!" and "hot diggidy dog!" -- makes this a great read-aloud. The detailed illustrations by Daniel Salmieri add to the silliness: Raccoon, surrounded by masked pizza partiers, simply holds a stick on the side of his already masked face -- genius. Expect this fun book to make kids insist on complete darkness and hushed voices on your next family pizza night. Shhhh!
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about -- no, whisper about -- secrets. What secrets are fun? How do you keep a secret -- just by being quiet? Or is there more to it? When are secrets not so good?
Turn each page of the book together and play the "That's silly" game. What's silly? What could be real? Can a raccoon dial a phone? Is there such a thing as a Broom Enthusiasts Club?
Do you have a secret handshake? Can you make up a family secret handshake? How silly can you make it?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Daniel Salmieri
- Genre : Humor
- Topics : Animals ( Wild Animals )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Dial Books
- Publication date : September 3, 2013
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 3 - 5
- Number of pages : 40
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate