Mario, an ingenious boy, is spending the morning at his Nana’s house along with his little sister, Marissa. In the backyard, he finds a cardboard box and quickly arranges it to simulate a table at a restaurant. Then he invites his sister to order anything she likes; when Marissa orders tacos, Mario makes them from leaves, mud and flower petals. Two more guests join Mario’s imaginary restaurant—his cousins Chico, who considers himself too big to pretend, and Rosie. At the end, all of them are hungry and ready to eat Nana’s real “meaty, messy, cheesy, spicy, crispy, crunchy” tacos. Inspired by their memories of playing together, siblings Lopez and Wong tell a simple tale that celebrates the twin pleasures of childhood, food and imagination. Roos’s cartoon-style illustrations, the presence of a Nana—in Hispanic cultures, traditionally a loved old babysitter—and the original game around the very popular Mexican dish will especially make children of Latino background feel culturally connected with the characters and the story. (Picture book. 3-8)
