Tacos

May 1, 2020

K-Gr 3-Readers will be ready to cook, eat, and learn after exploring these six titles, which describe their subjects in an appealing way. The books present a history of the food, the assembly process, the current trends, and two recipes. Each title contains a time line of the food's history, a graphic depicting different shapes or styles of the food, a further reading section, a glossary, and an index. Photographs and illustrations, rendered in color or black and white, are included on each spread and are appropriately captioned. The authors' efforts to expand world perspectives are evident with their inclusion of cultural variations of the featured food. Recipes contain instructions about adult supervision and standard and metric temperatures, but volume measurements are in standard. One recipe lists bacon as an ingredient for a grilled macaroni and cheese sandwich, but there are no instructions for cooking the bacon prior to adding it to the sandwich. VERDICT Budding foodies will likely devour these titles, which support social studies curriculums. While the series is generally informative, Macaroni & Cheese and Pizza have some missteps. Purchase individual titles as needed.-Hilary Writt, Sullivan Univ., Lexington, KY

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2020
Grades K-3 Do you love tacos? Like tacos, this volume in the Our Favorite Foods series (6 titles) is bright, fun, and appealing. Close-up, appetizing photos draw readers in, allowing them to appreciate the simple text filled with surprising facts. In addition to outlining what is in tacos and how to make them, Mattern briefly sketches the food's history, from an early mention in colonial Mexico through their popularity in the U.S. today. Additional features, including a four-step diagram showing how to assemble tacos, two recipes (one savory, one sweet), the world record for largest taco, and a time line, add to the informative fun. This level-3 reader targets an early fluent audience, but kids and adults alike will enjoy this new perspective on a favorite food.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)