Dragons Love Tacos

by Adam Rubin, Daniel Salmieri (Illustrator)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Adam Rubin gifts us the greatest tidbit of knowledge we could ever ask for: dragons love tacos. Just be sure that if you’re making tacos for some dragon friends, skip out on the spice. Unless, of course, you want to play with fire.

A #1 New York Times bestselling phenomenon, this deliciously funny read-aloud is an unforgettable tale of new friends and the perfect snack that will make you laugh until spicy salsa comes out of your nose.

Dragons love tacos. They love chicken tacos, beef tacos, great big tacos, and teeny tiny tacos. So if you want to lure a bunch of dragons to your party, you should definitely serve tacos. Buckets and buckets of tacos. Unfortunately, where there are tacos, there is also salsa. And if a dragon accidentally eats spicy salsa . . . oh, boy. You're in red-hot trouble.

This makes the perfect gift for any special occasion, from award-winning team of Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri who created Dragons Love Tacos 2: The Sequel, El Chupacabras, High Five, Robo-Sauce, and Secret Pizza Party.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780803736801
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	06/14/2012
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	6,746
Product dimensions:	10.20(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	AD520L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Adam Rubin is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of ten critically-acclaimed picture books, including the Those Darn Squirrels trilogy, Dragons Love Tacos, Dragons Love Tacos 2: The Sequel, Secret Pizza Party, Robo-Sauce and El Chupacabras (which was short-listed for the 2018 Texas Blue Bonnet award). He spent ten years working as a creative director in the advertising industry before leaving his day job to write full-time. In between writing projects, he designs and collects optical illusions, puzzles and games.

Daniel Salmieri is an artist, illustrator, and author from Brooklyn, NY. He has illustrated twelve picture books including the New York Times best seller, Dragons Love Tacos. Daniel is a regular contributor to several magazines and newspapers including The New Yorker and the New York Times, and works on a wide array of projects from packaging design to branding. He currently lives with his wife, son, and their dog Ronni in New York City.

What People are Saying About This

San Francisco Chronicle

"Dragons Love Tacos is a heaping helping of silly.  Little kids will relate to the anti-spicy bias and chuckle over Salmieri's watercolor and gouache cartoon illustrations showing literally boatloads of tacos and all sizes of dragons enjoying their favorite food at pool parties, costume parties and, well, taco parties."—San Francisco Chronicle

From the Publisher

"Off-kilter fun for those who like their picture books (and salsa) zesty and fresh."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

Editorial Reviews

Rubin and Salmieri (Those Darn Squirrels!) are two of the weirdest, funniest guys working in kids’ lit today. The team lets its geek flag fly in an obsessive how-to guide for would-be dragon taco party hosts. Why a taco party? As Rubin explains, “The only things dragons love more than parties or tacos, is taco parties.” If further proof is required, Salmieri—whose poker-faced watercolor, gouache, and color pencil drawings set a benchmark for oddball observational humor—shows one odd, scaly creature with a carryout bag from “Taco Cave” and another beaming with anticipation as it eagerly circles the date for a taco party on its taco-themed calendar. But beware: even if all the tips and rules are followed to the letter (on quantity: “The best way to judge is to get a boat and fill the boat with tacos”), all will be for naught if spicy salsa makes its way into the taco filling. In fact, the dragons will bring a whole new meaning to “housewarming.” Off-kilter fun for those who like their picture books (and salsa) zesty and fresh. Ages 3–5. Agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (June)

Publishers Weekly

#1 New York Times bestseller 
Summer 2012 Kids' Indie Next List
New York Times Notable Book

* "Off-kilter fun for those who like their picture books (and salsa) zesty and fresh."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Dragons Love Tacos is a heaping helping of silly.  Little kids will relate to the anti-spicy bias and chuckle over Salmieri's watercolor and gouache cartoon illustrations showing literally boatloads of tacos and all sizes of dragons enjoying their favorite food at pool parties, costume parties and, well, taco parties."—San Francisco Chronicle

"The perfect book for kids who love dragons and mild tacos."—Kirkus Reviews

"The watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil cartoon illustrations are the real stars here. Regardless of, or perhaps because of, the absurdity of the story, this tale should be a big hit with anyone with an affinity for dragons."—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

"Dragons Love Tacos is a heaping helping of silly.  Little kids will relate to the anti-spicy bias and chuckle over Salmieri's watercolor and gouache cartoon illustrations showing literally boatloads of tacos and all sizes of dragons enjoying their favorite food at pool parties, costume parties and, well, taco parties."—San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco Chronicle

PreS-Gr 2—The goofy creators of Those Darn Squirrels! (2008) and Those Darn Squirrels and the Cat Next Door (2010, both Clarion) are back with another wacky story. Given the cover image of a red dragon gorging itself on tacos and the taco-filled endpapers, readers are prepared for the sheer silliness of this offering. A bemused young dragon fan and his dog are given the inside scoop on the best way to entertain dragons—with a taco party. A helpful narrator offers the boy advice about planning the festivities, informing him that dragons love tacos—beef tacos, chicken tacos, gigantic tacos, and tiny tacos. But those preparing to host these parties are cautioned to keep any kind of spicy salsa off the menu or suffer the consequences. After filling his house with tacos, getting rid of the salsa, and letting the party begin, the host is sure he's properly prepared, but he's missed the jalapeños peppers listed in the fine print of the "Totally Mild Salsa." Uh, oh! The watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil cartoon illustrations are the real stars here, extending the frivolous text. Regardless of, or perhaps because of, the absurdity of the story, this tale should be a big hit with anyone with an affinity for dragons.—Sharon Grover, Hedberg Public Library, Janesville, WI

School Library Journal

The perfect book for kids who love dragons and mild tacos. Rubin's story starts with an incantatory edge: "Hey, kid! Did you know that dragons love tacos? They love beef tacos and chicken tacos. They love really big gigantic tacos and tiny little baby tacos as well." The playing field is set: dragons, tacos. As a pairing, they are fairly silly, and when the kicker comes in--that dragons hate spicy salsa, which ignites their inner fireworks--the silliness is sillier still. Second nature, after all, is for dragons to blow flames out their noses. So when the kid throws a taco party for the dragons, it seems a weak device that the clearly labeled "totally mild" salsa comes with spicy jalapenos in the fine print, prompting the dragons to burn down the house, resulting in a barn-raising at which more tacos are served. Harmless, but if there is a parable hidden in the dragon-taco tale, it is hidden in the unlit deep, and as a measure of lunacy, bridled or unbridled, it doesn't make the leap into the outer reaches of imagination. Salmieri's artwork is fitting, with a crabbed, ethereal line work reminiscent of Peter Sís, but the story does not offer it enough range. A wandering effort, happy but pointless. (Picture book. 3-5)

Kirkus Reviews

Salmieri's pencil-and-watercolor drawings are not only a wacky delight, they're also strangely beautiful. The dragons may screw up the party, but this book gets everything right.
—Pamela Paul

The New York Times Book Review