Picture Book Review: Dragons Love Tacos

Title:  Dragons Love Tacos
Author:  Adam Rubin
Illustrator:  Daniel Salmieri
Publisher:  Dial Books for Young Readers, New York, NY 2012

Dragons love tacos.  Any kind of tacos:  beef tacos, chicken tacos, gigantic tacos and tiny little baby tacos.  They also love parties:  costume parties, pool parties, parties with accordions, and parties with charades.  It should come as no surprise then, that a dragon's favorite thing is a taco party!  (Just be sure to hide the salsa!)

This hilarious tale will have children ages 4 to 8 roaring with laughter.  The repetitious pattern of the story will help beginning readers catch on to the text, and the cadence of the tale allow it to be a great read aloud.  Just be sure the audience is able to view the awesome illustrations.

Picture Book Review: Boy + Bot

Title:  Boy + Bot
Author:  Ame Dyckman
Illustrator:  Dan Yaccarino
Publisher:  Alfred A. Knopf, New York, NY 2012

The boy befriends a boxy and bright "bot" one day in the forest.  Before they can share a full day of fun and shenanigans, the robot's power switch gets bumped, and the boy doesn't know what to do!  He tries every remedy he can think of with no success.  The tale turns when the robot's power switch gets turned back on, while the boy is fast asleep and the robot takes a turn at trying to "fix" the boy.

This is an adorably silly tale that children will be drawn to, and the bright and eye-catching illustrations will further engage children in the story.  The story would appeal to children ages one to four and would make an excellent read aloud for storytellers with a perfected robot voice.

Children's Book Review: Chomp

Title:  Chomp
Author:  Carl Hiaasen
Publisher:  Knopf Books for Young Readers
Ages 10-14
290 pages

Wahoo Cray is the son of a Floridian animal wrangler with a chomped off thumb to prove it. When Wahoo's dad, Mickey, is contacted by the production crew for a popular nature thriller reality show, Expedition Survival! they travel to the Everglades with the cast and crew. It quickly becomes apparent that the show is heavily staged, and the star, Derek Badger, is a fraud. When Derek becomes truly lost in the Everglades the cast and crew, including Wahoo and Mickey must help to find them.

There is no shortage of wild and crazy adventures throughout this book, even if some of the adventures are mildly predictable. Derek Badger can't stay out of trouble and puts the entire cast and crew, including the Cray's, survival skills to the test. A great book for readers who love an adventurous tale, especially those with an affinity for nature and the wilderness. Best for readers ages 10-14.