Little Taco Truck
“Parents looking for an uplifting bedtime (or anytime) story, would do well to grab a copy of Little Taco Truck.”
Little Taco Truck introduces young readers to the world of food trucks and exotic cuisine. In this tasty treat of a story, the main character, Little Taco Truck, has found his calling. Each day he arrives at a construction site to serve deliciously crisp tacos to the hungry workers.
But one morning his usual parking spot is taken up by another food truck, Miss Falafel. Miss Falafel serves fresh-baked pita bread and crunchy chickpea fritters. Little Taco Truck is a good sport and shares his spot and his customers with Miss Falafel, even though he secretly hopes she will leave. But things get tricky when other food trucks arrive on the scene.
It turns out Miss Falafel has invited her friends, and soon the street is filled with Tapas, Jumbo Gumbo, Annie’s Arepas, and Hello Gelato. Everyone is happy except Little Taco Truck who is shoved aside without a parking spot. Little Taco Truck, however, is not ready to give up and arrives extra early to park in his usual spot beneath the shade of a green tree. Will Little Taco Truck and his competitors find a solution?
Author Tanya Valentine has written a deceptively simple tale with a powerful message very much like crunchy taco shells that hide healthy fillings. The book is a nice mix of entertainment and education. Readers and their listeners will add to their culinary vocabulary. Tacos are mainstream foods but falafel and Arepas (corn cakes from Colombia) are a bit unusual.
Valentine has a handy glossary of terms to explain “gelato” and “tapas.” and has written a readable story for three to seven year olds. Valentine’s world is inhabited by mostly animals in hard hats and safety vests. Little Taco Truck and his competitors all have cheerful grins and expressive eyes and live in a mostly mirthful world very similar to Thomas, the Tank Engine.
Talented artist Jorge Martin’s colorful drawings brings Valentine’s imaginary world to full-blown life. Martin’s depiction of each character is bright, bold, and full of vibrancy. This is the perfect joyous world for a youngster. The flamingo, lions and giraffes are cheerful construction workers who are hungry for a taco or falafel or bowl of gelato. There are no nightmares or dark clouds in Martin’s art. Parents looking for an uplifting bedtime (or anytime) story, would do well to grab a copy of Little Taco Truck. But be prepared to make a taco or tapa after reading this story because little ones will certainly be hungry after hearing this tale.