Published: 2018
Series: This Is a Taco! Series (#1)
Author: Andrew Cangelose
Illustrator: Josh Shipley
Genres: Picture Books, Children’s Fiction, Humor, Animals
Audience: Pre-K–3
Number of Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Goodreads Link: This Is a Taco!
Triggers: None
Review By: Megan Powell
Publisher’s Summary:
This is a squirrel . . . “Hey, I may be a squirrel, but my name is Taco! And I don’t eat nuts and tree bark—blech—I prefer tacos!”
The natural predator of squirrels is . . . “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Who is writing this book? I do not like where this is going.”
This hilarious send-up of a children’s nature primer teaches kids that the most important story is the one you write yourself.
Review:
This book is very animated and very easy to read. I would recommend this to grades pre-K through third grade. There is different lessons that can be taught throughout this story. The main lesson is that when you write a story of your own, it’s very important that you write from your heart and what you want. That way what you’re reading and what you’re writing is something that you want to be apart of and are proud of.
This book reminds students to stay true to themselves and write about what makes their heart happy. Throughout the book there were different words crossed out in red ink and replaced with words that fit the squirrel’s story a little better. For example, at one point in the book it said that squirrels enjoy bark and grass. He crossed that out and said, “No, I like tacos. Why can’t there be tacos in my story?” Throughout the book, he continued to re-write the story to be about something he wants.
The book ends with this quote, “Kids, if you want tacos in your story, you can make sure there are tacos in your story.” Such a simple read with a wonderful message. I would recommend this book, maybe even before starting a writing piece or something!
Classroom & Curricular Connections:
- ELA / Creative Writing:
- This book is an excellent mentor text for teaching voice, author’s purpose, and creative writing. Students can discuss how characters influence stories and explore the importance of expressing their own ideas through writing.
- Extension Activity / Library Application:
- Before beginning a narrative writing unit, have students create their own version of a familiar story where the main character changes parts of the text to reflect their interests and personality. This title is also a fantastic read-aloud for storytime and writing workshops.
- Diversity & Representation:
- The story encourages self-expression, creativity, and individuality by showing young readers that their voices and ideas matter.
Readalikes:
- The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak
- We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins
- Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein
- The Serious Goose by Jimmy Kimmel
