School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3--Our lovable eponymous food protagonists are back for another wacky adventure. Bored one day, Pizza and Taco decide to throw a party at the water park. When they arrive at the park, only to find it closed, they try to improvise. When issues with their party sign and guests arise, they realize that they might not be able to save the day. This dialogue-driven graphic novel is short but sweet, with a solid lesson about planning. Readers will enjoy Pizza and Taco's positive energy and tendency to emote big feelings. Photographs of food superimposed against spare cartoon backgrounds match the whimsy and humor of the text. VERDICT Hand to early readers starting to explore graphic novels and who enjoy food-themed high jinks; even those unfamiliar with the series will easily jump in.
Kirkus Review
The lunch bunch is back--and they're throwing a party! It starts as a boring day. Neither Pizza nor Taco knows what to do besides sit. To spice things up, Taco suggests they stand. Standing feels better--until they realize that they're now "STANDING and doing nothing." The two anthropomorphic foodstuffs move and jump around to help them "THINK. / THINK. / THINK." Taco gets a brilliant idea to throw a party. After "AWESOME!" and "YAAAS!" the pair gets to work planning. They make a list of supplies. They decide to host the party at "THE WATER PARK!" They send off invitations to their foodie friends: Cake, Ice Cream, the Chicken Tender twins, Hamburger, Hot Dog, and Cheeseburger. But when they get to the Water Park, they discover that it's closed: "AHHHHHHHHHH!" Their names are misspelled on their party sign: "AHHHHHHHHHH!" A balloon pops and scares Ice Cream: "AHHHHHHHHHH!" Will anything go according to plan? Shaskan hams it up even more for this second course after Who's the Best? (2020). Patterned backgrounds reiterate the setting and occasionally form full-page images alongside smaller panels. The low overall panel count (eight or fewer per spread) and repetitive five-chapter structure aid emerging readers in decoding the deliciously fun text. Unfortunately, inconsistent choices about panel borders may confuse some new-to-comics readers. (This book was reviewed digitally with 8.3-by-12-inch double-page spreads viewed at 82% of actual size.) A party worth crashing. (Graphic early reader. 5-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
