September 5 – Cheese Pizza Day

Happy Cheese Pizza Day!

A simple cheese pizza sans toppings is a basis of many a Friday night dinner in households all over the country. Enjoy yours with a great picture book!

Secret Pizz Party written by Adam Rubin and illustrated by Daniel Salmieri (2013)

There’s nothing Raccoon wants more than pizza. But he can never get any because of brooms and people shooing him away with brooms. Raccoon decides to get some pizza with a super secret plan. Disguised in a coat and hat, and stilts to make himself taller, Raccoon walks into the pizza shop and escapes with a hot, delicious pie. Finally at home, he’s just about ready to dig in when he notices another Secret Pizza Party going on right outside his window. Everyone is dressed up in burglar masks eating slice after slice. Raccoon sneaks in, unsuspectedly and gets away with armloads of pizza while broom wielding pizza lovers chase him out of the book.

Pete’s A Pizza written and illustrated by William Steig (1998)

Pete is sad because it’s raining and he can’t go outside to play with his friends. His father decides to cheer him up by turning Pete into a pizza. First he takes Pete and lays him on the kitchen table. He kneads him and flips him in the air. Then he adds oil, tomatoes, and cheese (water, red checkers, and torn paper) on him. Then Pete gets put in the oven (couch) until he’s done. Just as his dad is ready to slice the pizza, his mother notices that the sun has come out so Pete goes out to play.

Pizza Pat written by Rita Golden Gelman and illustrated by Will Terry (1999)

Poor Pat! He buys a tray, lays the dough, spreads the sauce, cuts the sausages, sprinkles the cheese, and bakes it in the oven. Then the mice arrive uninvited, mice friends and cousins by the dozens who steal Pat’s pizza. Now the tray is empty, the mice are full, and Pat is sad.  Poor Pat!

The Pizza That We Made written by Joan Holub and illustrated by Lynne Cravath (2001)

Suzanne, Max, and Jake make a pizza in this easy to read rhyming text. The steps are all taken in sequence to make a delicious pizza at home. With just a little help from mother, the kids make their own lunch. A recipe for a basic pizza is included at the end of the story.