Daniel Salmieri

I'm of two minds about this book.

The good:
-The illustrations are wonderful. The background is pale watercolor-speckled, and the dragons are brightly colored and expressive in their body language and facial expressions. There are a lot of humorous details if you look closely, such as the text on book spines and food labels. There is not one central dragon character, so it's interesting to see what all of them are up to on each page.
-The overall idea that eating spicy salsa causes dragons to show more spurt smoke from their ears and breathe fire is funny and appealing, almost like a myth (Why Wolves Howl at the Moon, etc.).

The less good:
-This has a higher word count than many picture books. It's repetitive, but not necessarily in a way that lends itself to participation in read-alouds (there isn't one particular refrain).
-The story meanders, as if a young child were telling it. The story arc makes sense, but - and I've never said this about a picture book before - I feel like it could have been edited down and streamlined.

Overall, it's kind of fun and wacky. There's no moral or lesson (except maybe to be real careful about serious allergies?), just goofy dragons and a taco party. It could be a good read-aloud book for the right group of kids, and it would be easy to come up with a good craft to follow storytime.

*

Re-read November 2018 (there was a request for dragon books: see also Have You Seen My Dragon? by Steve Light and Dragon Was Terrible by Kelly DiPucchio). Still not enchanted with it, but the kids love it. show less

Enjoyable to read. Silly but fun premise. Colorful. Slight body humor in that spicy foods give the dragons "tummy troubles." Words set in larger type, checkmarks, questions, etc., give cues for interacting with or discussing the story. My child also likes to point out "Taco Cave" everywhere it shows up and asking what's on the invitation vs. what's on the calendar. This is also a good choice for asking "how do you think this character feeling?"

This was a gift from a relative because their show more kids loved it so much.

Themes: food/recipes, dietary restrictions, different ways of caring for friends, what makes a party/gathering fun
Vocab: "Samaritan" may be worth discussing with your young reader. Even if they have heard the parable, they may need help connecting it to the idiomatic use. show less

A young boy prepares a taco party for a group of dragons in this humorous picture-book, as the narrator informs him (and the reader) of the draconic love for all things taco, but hatred for all things spicy. Apparently, spicy salsa will strengthen a dragon's natural tendency toward fire, leading to sparks and smoke, if ingested. This leads to some dire consequences, when the boy overlooks the newest ingredient of the 'mild' salsa he buys. Fortunately, when his guests accidentally burn down show more his house, they are there to help him rebuild...

A great favorite at work, both with colleagues and patrons, Dragons Love Tacos is a book I have been meaning to pick up, especially since I enjoyed this author/illustrator team's Robo-Sauce. I imagine that younger children will find this one quite amusing - I know I did! - and will identify with the dragons' love of tacos. The artwork is colorful and appealing, adding greatly to the sense of fun. Recommended to children who love dragons and/or Tex-Mex food, or who enjoy stories with a somewhat silly sense of humor. show less

The irony of combining something as mundane as tacos with something as outlandish as dragons makes this book a masterpiece. Dragons really love tacos (who doesn't?), but dragons hate one certain topping: spice! One might imagine what could happen when spice meets a fire-breathing dragon's lungs...

The funny illustrations and anecdotes about dragon hobbies are engaging and endearing. I love this book!