Talking Tacos: A Read, Discuss, Do Book List
A list to make you hungry, and a recipe to feed you!
by Mindy Baker
Anyone feeling like the frosty weather is hanging on a little too long? Why not warm up with some spicy taco reads? Taco ‘bout awesome…this zesty book list will have you saying, “Holy guacamole” in no time! It is for everyone out there who could use a little “fiesta” to break up the winter blues and make them smile.
Our featured book is Duck, Duck, Taco Truck by Laura Lavoie, illustrated by Teresa Martínez. It is a silly and playful rhyming picture book that shows how teamwork really is the best solution. Two ducks have a successful taco truck business and are saving to buy a boat. Along comes Goose with his pizza and burger truck, and he steals all their business. But with so much demand, the goose is exhausted. He notices the two dejected ducks and invites them into a partnership. The last scene shows all three of them cruising away on their new boat! This is bright, energetic story that your child will want to read over and over!
Whether you choose Duck, Duck, Taco Truck or any other book (or books) on this list, we hope these list encourages you to add a little fiesta to family dinner!
READ: Duck, Duck, Taco Truck by Laura Lavoie or any other book featuring tacos
DISCUSS:
In Duck, Duck, Taco Truck what type of food do the ducks sell? (Tacos) What type of food does the goose sell? (Burgers, curly fries, and pizza)
What is the first problem the ducks have? (Goose steals their business)
When Goose runs his food truck alone, what is his problem? (He is exhausted)
How do they solve the problem? (They work together)
Have you ever tried to do a job alone that was tiring? What was it? (various, but an example might be: cleaning toy room or other chores like emptying dishwasher )
How could you work together with someone else to get difficult jobs done? (various)
Do you like tacos? What kind of taco is your favorite?
What’s the best taco topping?
DO: Try one of these activity ideas to follow up story time.
Have a taco night! Allow your child to participate in some element of preparing the tacos. See a recipe from
below!Make construction paper tacos. (Or, use a paper plate for the shell of the taco and glue in some construction paper toppings).
Break out the play dough and make…tacos!
Pretend play! Do you have a large cardboard box that could become a “taco truck?” Cut a hole for the window and let your child use some play food to serve up pretend tacos (or construction paper tacos) to your family. For a larger project, you could paint it or decorate it. If you don’t have a box, create a “food truck” out of a blanket and some furniture.
Is there a nearby local taco truck or restaurant that serves authentic Mexican street tacos? Go on an outing to sample several varieties and have a “taste test.” What is your favorite? Or, buy several varieties of salsa and have a family taste test.
Taco Books List
Note: Some links will take you to the Read, Discuss, Do bookshop.org storefront. Purchasing a book from the storefront will support independent bookstores and help maintain Read, Discuss, Do at no additional cost to you.
Duck Duck Taco Truck by Laura Lavoie and illustrated by Teresa Martínez. It is a food truck showdown on the beach between two ducks and a goose. This silly and playful rhyming picture book shows how teamwork really is the best solution.
Pizza and Taco Super-Awesome Comic by Stephen Shaskan (part of a series of easy-to-read graphic novels). Pizza and Taco are trying to collaborate to create a comic book. Despite their conflicts and disagreements, in the end the reader gets to see the final product they wrote together. This series is perfect for beginning and/or reluctant readers.The realistic humor and conversation exchanges between the pizza and the taco make the books especially hilarious. If you like Mo Willems humor with Elephant and Piggie books, you will love this series.
Tacos by Frank Asch. Baby Bear goes on a trip to Arizona with his dad and tries tacos for the first time. This is a first experiences book.
Little Taco Truck by Tanya Valentine, illustrated by Jorge Martin. Little Taco Truck has to look for a new place to park when Miss Falafel takes his spot. Along the way he meets many other food trucks serving internations foods.In the end the other trucks make room for him.
It’s Raining Tacos by Parry Gripp and illustrated by Peter Emmerich. This is a Youtube song that has been illustrated into a book. A child gets a dog for his birthday, but the dog ruins the birthday party pizza. No worries! For some unknown reason, It is raining tacos! This strange turn of events helps the day turn out great.
This is a Taco! Written by Andrew Cangelose and illustrated by Josh Shipley. This humorous book is set up as if it is a report about a squirrel. Meanwhile, there is a squirrel (who thinks he is a taco and loves tacos) who interacts with the narrator in a hilarious way. Humor abounds in this book!
Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri. According to this humorous picture book, if you want to be friends with a dragon, make sure to invite him to a taco party! But remember, they do NOT like spicy salsa. Can you guess what happens when the dragon in this book eats spicy salsa?
Dragons Love Tacos 2 (The sequel) by Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri. Thanks to the first book, there are no more tacos left in the world. So a time machine is required to journey back to find a few tacos so that they can be planted and grow into taco-bearing trees. A hilarious time traveling tale ensues!
Tacos Today by Raúl the Third and illustrated by Elaine Bay (A Toro & Friends book) To earn money for their tacos, they do Lucha Libre performances on the bus and in the plaza. Because they drew such a crowd, the taco sellers give them their tacos for free.This colorful graphic novel includes many Spanish phrases.
Pete the Cat’s Wacky Taco Tuesday by James Dean and Kimberly Dean. When the taquería is closed Pete and his family decide to make their own tacos with funny ingredients like pickles and bananas, berries and cream, cucumbers, peppers and broccoli, and jellybeans, marshmallows, and maple syrup. Funny!
Middle Grade
Stef Soto Taco Queen by Jennifer Torres. Even though Stef Soto is embarrassed of her family’s taco truck business, it is still an integral part of who she is. She is worried because the city is threatening to shut down the local food trucks. Friendship issues also emerge as she helps to plan a school fundraiser to buy needed supplies for her art class. This is a heart-warming middle grade novel about finding your voice, relating to friends, and having confidence in your heritage.
Easy Shredded Chicken Tacos
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon taco seasoning
1/2 cup jarred salsa
Flour or corn tortillas, or crunchy taco shells
Topping options:
Sour cream
Guacamole or chopped avacado
Shredded lettuce
Pico de gallo or other salsa
Chopped white onions
Shredded Mexican style cheese
To make the tacos:
Ahead of time, cook the chicken breasts. You can use whatever method you prefer, but in my experience boiling or using an Instant Pot works best. If using an Instant Pot, use chicken broth rather than water.
Once the chicken has cooled enough to handle, shred it by pulling the meat apart with two forks. You can also put boneless breasts in a stand mixer and run it on low until the chicken is shredded but still a little chunky.
Add chicken, chicken broth, salsa, and taco seasoning to a saucepan and bring to a boil, then simmer for about ten minutes. In the meantime, prep the toppings and warm your tortillas!
Use tongs to transfer the chicken to a serving dish, giving it a gentle squeeze to remove excess liquid. Serve with your choice of taco shells and toppings, then enjoy!
These tacos are great on their own, but also go well with Mexican rice and/or pinto beans on the side. Serve up some yummy paletas (Mexican ice cream or frozen fruit bars) for dessert!
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