IT'S RAINING 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).