Reviews for Little Taco Truck

Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Little Taco Truck has loyal (anthropomorphized animal) customers but finds his business (and ego) threatened when some other food trucks--Miss Falafel, Jumbo Gumbo, et al.--start taking the good parking spots and doing business on his street. The text-heavy story, featuring chunky art majoring in produce-aisle colors, gently promotes the fine idea that collaboration is an antidote to competition. Glos. (c) Copyright 2021. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.


Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A little orange food truck parks in the same place every day, bringing tacos to hungry construction workerstill one morning, a falafel truck takes his spot. Miss Falafel then brings by more of her friends, crowding out the taco truck. Little Taco Truck whines and cries, but after four days of being shut out by the bigger trucks, he finally takes the initiative. He spends the night in his former parking space, defending his territory when the other trucks arrive. The rest immediately apologize, and after some creative maneuvering, everyone fitseven the newly arrived noodle truck. Valentine's nave call for cooperation glosses over the very real problem of urban gentrification represented by the flood of bigger and better-equipped trucks taking over the neighborhood. When the taco truck is the only game in town, the food line consists of hard-hatted construction workers. Then, as falafel, arepa, gelato, hot dog, and gumbo trucks set up shop, professionals and hipsters start showing up. (All the customers are depicted as animals.) The author also inadvertently equates tacos with a lack of sophistication. " Hola, Miss FalFal' Little Taco Truck tried to sound out the words on the side of the other truck." Sadly, the truck sells Americanized crisp-shelled tacos. Even the glossary ignores the culinary versatility and cultural authenticity of the soft taco with this oversimplified and inaccurate definition: "A crispy Mexican corn pancake folded or rolled around a filling of meat, beans, and cheese."Slight and contrived. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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