Review of Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin

Did you know that dragons love tacos? If you’ve read Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin, you would know that dragons adore tacos and parties, but that the absolute best thing is taco parties. Just don’t plan on inviting dragons to your party and then serving them spicy salsa. If you want to know what happens when you serve a dragon salsa made with jalapenos, you’ll just have to read Dragons Love Tacos and find out yourself.

Image

Image of Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin; Rubin, A. (2012). [Cover image of Dragons love tacos]. Retrieved from https://www.wholeearthprovision.com/shop/dragons-love-tacos-by-adam-rub-70695

Evaluation

Dragons Love Tacos is a funny story, and Adam Rubin’s language sets the conversational tone for the book. The first line is “Hey, Kid! Did you know that dragons love tacos?” (Rubin, 2012, n.p.). Later, the narrator asks, “Hey dragon, why do you guys love tacos so much?” (Rubin, 2012, n.p.). The tone is casual, and it’s almost like the narrator is a friend, speaking directly to the reader. The narrator shares tips and reminders with the reader; he tells us exactly what ingredients to use to make a mild salsa, reminds us that dragons hate spicy salsa, and then warns the dragons NOT to eat the spicy salsa. The author’s tone draws the reader in, making us part of the story and engaging us completely.

Dragons Love Tacos is illustrated by Daniel Salmieri, and his illustrations both extend and develop the plot. On the first page of the story, the words describe how much dragons love tacos: “they love beef tacos and chicken tacos. They love really big gigantic tacos and tiny little baby tacos as well” (Rubin, 2012, n.p.). The illustration shows a boy and his dog, standing in the boy’s bedroom. There are dragons everywhere: toy dragons clutter the floor, stand guard on the bookcase, and inhabit the castle-shaped bed. Dragons cover the lampshade and populate the poster and even many of the books on the bookcase are about dragons. The illustration extends well beyond the words on the page, showing just how much the boy loves dragons. On another page, the text reads: “You’ll need buckets of tacos. Pantloads of tacos” (Rubin, 2012, n.p.). The illustration shows tacos overflowing from bags and buckets, and, yes, even a pair of pants. The illustrations in this book extend beyond the words on the page, bringing the story to life for the reader.

The colors of Dragons Love Tacos are another important aspect of the book. The colors on most pages are bright and cheerful. The cover art is in bright blues, reds and yellows with pops of green. These are not scary dragons; instead, we know from the color palette that we are dealing with friendly dragons. There is nothing sinister on the page. The only illustration that deviates from the bright, colorful palette is one page when the dragons are breathing fire. Dark smoke envelops the ceiling and the dragons shoot streams of fire at every direction, while the boy and his dog cower under the table. These dark colors represent a shift in the tone of the book, representing danger. Once everything is under control again, the illustrations return to their cheerful palette.

Response

Dragons Love Tacos is a fun, clever story. I love the way the narrator asks question after question, starting with: “Did you know that dragons love tacos?” (Rubin, 2012, n.p.). The questions guide the reader through the story. I thought the book was hugely entertaining and the artwork served to enhance the story. I love the expression on the boy’s face when he realizes that the supposedly mild salsa he served with the tacos was actually made with spicy jalapeno peppers. The narrator exclaims, “You didn’t read the fine print?!” As a reader, you know what is going to happen next, just as the boy does, but you are powerless to prevent the dragons from gobbling those tacos covered in not-so-mild salsa. Overall, the book is great fun, and I cannot wait to read more by Adam Rubin as I think his books would make excellent read-alouds. I highly recommend this to preschool and younger elementary school students.

Conclusion

Dragons Love Tacos is a well-written picture book with incredible illustrations. The book itself is funny; I can just hear young kids bursting out laughing as they read about dragons and their spicy tacos. The illustrations do an excellent job of extending and developing the plot. The colors show us that the book is meant to be fun and funny, not at all scary This is sure to be a hit as a read-aloud for students in preschool and elementary school. 4 stars.

Citation

Rubin, A. (2012). [Cover image of Dragons love tacos]. Retrieved from https://www.wholeearthprovision.com/shop/dragons-love-tacos-by-adam-rub-70695

Rubin, A. (2012). Dragons love tacos. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers.