Fine fare for fans of the song (or tacos).
A birthday disaster becomes a taco bonanza!
“It’s my birthday! / It’s going to be great! / Birthday, with pizza and cake. / All my friends will come celebrate.” And there’s a new pet, a fluffy dog. What could be better? Unfortunately, while everyone is out in the backyard playing in the bouncy house, that new dog has a pizza feast! (Even the pepperoni!) But wait! There’s the cake and the birthday wish. Blow out the candles, and what’s that sound? “It’s raining tacos, from out of the sky. / Tacos, no need to ask why. / Just open your mouth and close your eyes. / It’s raining tacos!” The party guests dance in the torrential taco rain with upturned umbrellas. They catch shells, meat, lettuce, and cheese (lots of cheese). What a great way to celebrate: new dog, cake, friends, and a taco rainstorm. Gripp fashions his song (of YouTube fame) into a picture-book celebration of a favorite Tex-Mex treat by setting it at a youngster’s birthday party. The song’s lyrics form the bulk of the text, and they wend their way across the illustrations of racially diverse guests snagging tacos from out of the sky. Illustrator and animator Emmerich’s bright and spritely cartoons are a perfect match for this exuberant salute to crunchy, cheesy yums. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Fine fare for fans of the song (or tacos). (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: June 22, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-300647-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
A reassuring story of friendship in the face of change.
The art of Chinese paper cutting and the art of friendship come together in this heartfelt migration story.
Bundled up and brightly dressed, best friends Dandan and Yueyue gleefully stroll hand in hand through a snowy neighborhood in China. But joy soon turns to sorrow—Dandan learns that she and her family will soon be moving to America on the day of the Lunar New Year. The girls spend their remaining time together celebrating New Year’s Eve. They munch on dumplings, spend time with their families, and make bright red paper cuttings to serve as ornaments. With a tight hug and a stack of red paper as a parting gift, Yueyue urges Dandan to carry on their paper cutting tradition with a new friend in her new homeland. In America, Dandan feels lonely and friendless. Everything is different, she can’t speak English, and some of her new classmates laugh at her Chinese qipao dress. With a smile from a White, freckle-faced girl named Christina, though, her voice and a new friendship bloom. With so much to learn about her new home and her new friend, can Dandan keep old traditions—like paper cutting—alive? Liu’s descriptive text deftly captures the ups, downs, and in-betweens of a child’s experience moving to a new country. Scurfield’s digitally collaged pencil-and-ink illustrations are mostly bright and colorful, but a brief shift to monochrome underscores the strangeness of a new place and the anxiety of learning a new language. Repeated motifs underline the fact that regardless of geographical location, some things remain the same.
A reassuring story of friendship in the face of change. (author’s note, about the author, about paper cutting, how to make a snowflake instructions) (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Dec. 14, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-77818-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Godwin Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A joyful Diwali celebration laced with messages that are important all year-round.
A South Asian older sister comes to appreciate her little brother.
Ariana’s 3-year-old brother, Rafi, seems to ruin everything...will he spoil Diwali? Rafi spills flour on the floor while Ariana and her grandmother make sweets, gets messy handprints on Ariana’s new clothes, and interrupts the traditional dancers with his silly moves. While the adults explain Rafi’s antics away, Ariana focuses on the rangoli contest, which she is determined to win. After she completes her artwork, though, Rafi trips and spills powder all over what Ariana considered her perfect creation. Infuriated, Ariana bursts into tears only to discover that Rafi’s mistake was actually just what she needed to take her art—and her maturity—to the next level. The book’s gorgeous illustrations and chatty, feisty narratorial voice form a brightly colored canvas for Ariana’s realization about the traps of perfectionism. Shah includes helpful details for readers unfamiliar with Diwali, such as an explanation of how Ariana makes rangoli and backmatter with an overview of the holiday. The book wraps up with Ariana and Rafi watching fireworks, which are increasingly eschewed in Diwali celebrations because they cause pollution. Overall, though, this delightful book offers valuable lessons about flexibility and acceptance without ever becoming preachy. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A joyful Diwali celebration laced with messages that are important all year-round. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2023
ISBN: 9781338837834
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
