The Monster Mac and Cheese Party

by Todd Parr

Through his signature illustrations that explode with fun and flavor, New York Times bestselling author  Todd Parr invites everyone to the funkiest, most unforgettable potluck on the block.

We all know kids love macaroni and cheese. But who knew monsters do too? In this story, the monsters hold a mac and cheese party (no humans allowed) and share all their creepy twists on this favorite food. What do zombies like? Mac and cheese with eyeballs! How do sea monsters eat their mac and cheese? In the bathtub, of course! The party is going fine until the monsters are surprised by the unexpected arrival of HUMANS at their party.

With interactive text that invites kids to join in with their own silly versions (mac and cheese with unicorns, anyone?) and bold, colorful illustrations, this is a wildly fun read aloud with a positive message about the value of sharing meals with friends and trying new things. Perfect for Halloween storytime and all year round.

Genres: Picture Books, Food, Monsters, Halloween, Storytime, Childrens, Humor

40 pages, Hardcover

Published June 27, 2023

About the author

Todd Parr is a three-time New York Times-bestselling author and illustrator of more than fifty books for children. He has inspired and empowered children around the world with simple, hopeful, and powerful messages such as “be kind”, “love yourself” and “be who you are,” all set with vibrant images in eye-catching primary colors. His books have received numerous awards and are available in nearly twenty languages. He also is the co-creator of the popular three-time Daytime Emmy©-nominated animated TV series, "ToddWorld" with Gerry Renert of SupperTime Entertainment. Several short films for Sesame Street have also been based on Parr’s work.

Parr devotes time to numerous philanthropic causes supporting pet adoption, children’s hunger, health, and literacy. He is a frequent reader and fundraiser for The Ronald McDonald House and serves on the board of directors for the Virginia Children’s Book Festival. His corporate collaborations include Best Buy, Stouffer’s, and the San Francisco–Marin Food Bank, among others.

A native of Wyoming, Parr currently lives in Berkeley, California.

Reviews

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange)]

This is a super cute children's book with bright colors and adorable cartoony monsters. As a parent, I appreciate books like this that lend themselves well to reading aloud. On reread, I could definitely see the kid joining in to say the answers. The story is silly and not scary at all. I would definitely recommend.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

[☀️CJ☀️]

Please don’t take this as a dig to the art style because I LOVE the art in this book, but I truly feel like any one can be an illustrator if they have the passion for it, and that makes me so happy. Books like this and Maisy remind me that simple art can be just as effective in conveying emotion and narrative. If I see a book with cute illustrations on sale at the library, trust it is coming home with me. Also, thank you for including a mac and cheese recipe for those of us with food sensitivities🙏 I know that would have meant a lot to me as a kid.

[Becca]

Todd Parr's classic bold, vibrant artwork walks young readers through gruesome, decidedly not boring mac n cheese concoctions brought to a party where they will seemingly eat dozens of varieties of mac n cheese, which to be fair is kind of a dream party for me.

It's a cute little story about trying new foods and being open to cuisine we might not already know a lot about. I liked that Parr included two recipes in the back as well, that are simple but expansive enough for different dietary restrictions and preferences.

[Becky]

First sentence: You are invited to a monster mac and cheese party Friday night! Please bring your favorite mac and cheese.

Premise/plot: Todd Parr's newest picture book stars monsters at a party, but not just any party--a mac and cheese party. Each monster guest brings his/her own 'favorite' mac and cheese. But what will happen when humans show up with BOXED mac and cheese?

My thoughts: I am not in the target audience for this one. I am not saying it won't be appealing for the target audience. Gross macaroni and cheeses might be absolutely hilarious for the right reader(s). The text is silly. The illustrations are bright, bold, colorful....and silly.

[Roben]

Todd Parr loves mac and cheese so much - he decided to write a wonderfully silly book all about it! And it's perfect for Halloween (or any time of the year - but there are monsters without mentioning Halloween!) The monsters are throwing a mac and cheese party! Everyone brings their favorite mac and cheese! What will spider bring? Or mummy? And why are no humans allowed?!
Sweet and silly with two recipes at the end - if you want to make mac and cheese that doesn't come in a box. Or with fish or dirt.

[Melanie Hetrick]

Todd Parr's new book is a bit of a break from the norm for him. This book is about monsters who love mac and cheese. But NOT human's mac and cheese; that's boring. They decide to have a party and invite lots of other monsters and have everyone bring a monster mac and cheese dish. But no humans are invited!

Children will love reacting to the many gross flavors of the popular pasta dish. Recommended for storytime.

[Nadina]

Super easy, simple, and adorable. The illustrations are basic but get the story across, I love the different fonts for the text and while some pages are moderately text heavy, others are very light on text. The illustrations are colorful, and the story itself is fun. I like the ending, and the reason human's aren't invited. I also loved the inclusion of two simple mac-and-cheese recipes at the end.

[Terresa Wellborn]

Funny book with bright illustrations and repetetive text, "Ding dong!" However the ending falls flat when the humans bring their own mac & cheese. Still, it might be fun in a kids halloween storytime; I'm willing to give it a go. Includes recipes in the back.

Themes: monsters, halloween
Ages: toddler-1st grade
Pub year: 2023

[Emily Haage]

Not my favorite Todd Parr book, but his classic bright images and simple, bold text is there. I wanted to like this more, because how fun is a Mac and cheese party with monsters?! The story just felt disjointed.

Kids will probably enjoy the absolute silliness and like discussing their own favorite Mac and cheese.

[Meredith]

Monsters throw a party to which they bring their signature mac and cheese dishes.

My children enjoyed seeing the monsters' different mac and cheese recipes, most of which were comically disgusting.

I thought the unicorn mac and cheese was a bit disturbing. Isn't one cursed if one kills a unicorn? My children insisted that the unicorns were just for decoration and that you can pick the unicorns out and keep them as pets instead of eating them.

I agree with the monsters that macaroni and cheese from a box is gross, and I don't understand why little kids love it.

The author includes two mac and cheese recipes at the end of the book.

[Emily]

Like all Todd Parr books, I don't love it quite as much as I think I will. The ending didn't seem to fit quite right, and the text is always pretty straightforward. However, a lot of people (a lot of kids) will surely love it - the monsters all made their favorite (gross) mac and cheese, featuring add-ins like spiders, mud, etc. Includes a regular and vegan recipe at the end.

[Bethe]

Mac and cheese - all time favorite for kids of all ages - and of monsters! Fun story with everyone’s favorite version. I personally am a big fan of the blue box and have been known to add hot dog slices to it as well. Try Parr’s recipes at the back! Usual wild and wacky illustrations get the mac and cheese treatment.

[Esme]

LOL this books is a little ridiculous. The artwork is okay, and the story is just silly. My son likes it (he's 4) but I wouldn't pick this one up if you're looking for any kind of lasting memory or message, it's a purely "for fun" book about what kind of mac and cheese each monster brings to a mac and cheese party. There's a few recipes in the back.

[Lori]

This might be a fun read aloud in grades k-2 near Halloween. It had so much potential and only needed a few tweaks to be amazing. But a few things fell short for me. The bold, colorful illustrations will definitely be enjoyed by kids, as will the imaginative Mac and cheese dishes.

[Anthony]

The Monster Mac and Cheese party is underway, and no humans are allowed to make any. Each individual monster brings their version of what makes a great mac and cheese dish. The combinations that make up each dish will surprise and amaze the reader.

[James Zaksek]

This was a quick one and I appreciated the inclusion of every monster! That includes the humans! ;) Otherwise, I felt that it was almost too short given that it didn't show how all these excellent Mac n cheeses were made!

[Amy Smith]

This book is great for toddler and family storytime or a book-n-cook. It goes through several "monsters" like zombies and werewolves and their favorite mac-n-cheeses. There are recipes in the back as well.

[Ross Felton]

This is one of my daughter's favorite picture books. We've checked it out countless times from the library and now she has her very own copy. Let me tell you, those monsters are mixing up some nasty mac

[Mrs.MakesReadingFun]

I love the bright colours and great messages that Todd Parr includes in his stories!

This one will appeal to fans of Mac & Cheese, monsters, and perhaps be a fun read-aloud during Halloween time (monsters & kids in costumes).

[Kelsey]

This was cute. A good read for my 6yo. My only complaint is that sometimes the fun colorful letters make it hard for littles to read so she only read some of the pages. We look forward to trying out the Mac and cheese recipe in the back

[Robin]

An OK book, illustrations are a bit too minimal for me.

[Panda Incognito]

This book is too simplistic for the elementary-aged kids who tend to enjoy gross-out humor the most, and the negativity about how humans are boring doesn't fit for the younger target audience either.

[shannon]

will be trying the mac n cheese recipes in the back later🫡

[wildct2003]

Hoped for better, did not know what to expect

[MARY Brazeau]

Super fun! We had Grandpa write his Mac n cheese recipe (not a boring one) in the back with the author's recipe.

[Robert Pereira]

Started good ended poorly

[Sara Hodorowski]

Work requested review. What can one say? It’s a Todd Parr. Bright colors, simple illustrations. Just nothing spectacular.

[Syntha Green]

Fun and nice that it comes with a couple of recipes for (non monster) mac and cheese

[Meredith]

Not quite up to Parr. Haha! Get it?!?

[Corinne]

I would rate it higher if the monsters ate people mac and cheese at the end. But, the endpapers are quite nice.