Stories with a Side of Salsa

The unpredictable weather has kept us inside with colds and the like, lately. A 70 degree day in March will be followed by a snowstorm the next morning. And, April has proven true to its name, with a slew of rain showers over the past week. We have been a bit cooped up and I have been searching for activities to pass the time a bit during the afternoons, at least until I can feel that enough time has elapsed before dinner, to turn on the television.

I recently invested in a slew of new books, as I have found late afternoon story-time to be very calming for my kids, and myself. It has helped us unwind after pillow-fights and play dates and there is more time to interact with the stories, than before bed- when we are all overtired and much less articulate.

If you do not have this book and you have a child between the ages of two and twenty, you should definitely add this gem to your collection. It is silly, a little satirical, interactive and most importantly, engaging to almost every toddler that I have read it to. The plot centers on dragons’ love of tacos, as the name suggests, but their intense dislike of spicy salsa – which makes them appropriately, ‘breathe fire.’ The narrator warns the reader about this dilemma and encourages the audience to use caution when planning their own taco party. When the dragons show up, hysteria and humor ensue.

My children laugh out loud during this book, and they have essentially memorized the story verbatim, which allows them to participate in the retelling. They are learning some important pre-reading strategies by learning and anticipating a story arch including building a climax, encountering an issue or problem and resolving the situation, before ending the story. It has also lead them to develop a beginner’s understanding of character motivations – like why the dragons struggle with their love of tacos but dislike of such a popular taco-related condiment. It may seem like a stretch but these are some early yet important skills.  It has also lead us to add weekly taco dinners into our household. This new tradition has a greater literary context than just our family appreciation for their utter deliciousness.

Plus, I get to have a Margarita much more frequently during these occasions. I love reading 🙂