In Taco Falls Apart by Brenda S. Miles and Monika Filipina (Magination Press, August 2023) young readers are introduced to a friendly taco who grapples with overwhelming expectations and eventually experiences a breakdown. This cleverly crafted picture book employs the “Think-Feel-Do” method to teach children how to manage overwhelming situations. With the support of Nacho and other vegetable characters, Taco learns to challenge his negative thoughts and replace them with more empowering ones. Although the book’s somewhat didactic nature may not make it an immediate choice for independent reading, its valuable message makes it a helpful book for teaching children that need this message.

Although Taco Falls Apart may not be the go-to book for children seeking a purely entertaining read-aloud experience, its significance lies in its ability to impart important lessons. The book effectively explores the concept of positive thinking, using humor and colorful illustrations to engage young readers. With the presence of vibrant vegetable friends, the story becomes interactive and memorable. When children are in need of guidance in cultivating a positive mindset, the amusing journey of Taco and his companions will serve as a valuable resource.

Three pages of end matter give insight explanations and examples of “one-sided thinking,” helping caregivers and teachers to better understand and identify such patterns. Additionally, practical suggestions and ideas for working with children give me invaluable guidance in helping my children develop positive thinking habits. This end matter helps make Taco Falls Apart a valuable tool for caregivers, educators, and parents.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance review copy of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This picture book is about Taco, who gets into a negative thought spiral and then “falls apart”. Other food items, such as lettuce and onions, help Taco to get out of the thought spiral and recognize positive characteristics. It’s a cute story that can help an adult have a discussion with a child about how to get out of a bad mood and feel better about themself.

This isn’t the type of story I would choose as a bedtime story, but it’s a good one for teachers and social workers to have available. It would also be a good book for a parent to get for a child struggling with self-worth.

Thank you to #NetGalley for an eARC of #TacoFallsApart in exchange for honest feedback.

This book was a fun and adorable way to help kids (and some adults) realize how our thoughts affect us. Read this to myself, then all of my kids from a teen to a special needs elementary age child and we all loved it!
Taco falls apart is relatable and captures the attention in an entertaining and engaging way. Taco feel like he just can't keep it together and we watch as his fellow foods rally around and help him change his thinking.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Magination Press for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The illustrations in this book are so cute and the themes of self-care and positive self-talk are really important for young kids to understand. The execution however was pretty weak, and I didn’t think there was anything particularly extraordinary about this book.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. This was a fun and quick read! When taco thinks and feels he can’t do it anymore; his friends rally around him and help him believe he can.

Great picture book that helps kids understand that it's okay to not always having it together. And it did it will a taco. Which was cute.

Taco Falls Apart cleverly introduces the reader to cognitive behaviour therapy. Using fun illustrations and a wise nacho chip, Taco learns some strategies to help him when he falls apart. The back matter explain the ideas further and offer more strategies to try. Although helpful, the nacho chip seems abrupt and negative when he shouts "wrong" during the story. Generally though, the characters in the story are encouraging. This book would be a good addition to classrooms and therapist offices to introduce cognitive behaviour therapy and thinking errors to children. Along with helpful strategies, the back matter also suggests that children who are really struggling seek professional help, which I liked a lot.

Taco Falls Apart is such a cute yet informative book about how to handle negative thoughts. I think this is a great book for toddlers through adults. I appreciated the clear format of think, feel, do and my toddler and I both learned a lot. I'm always trying to teach my four year old (and myself) new ways of coping with big feelings and this is one we will be re-reading a lot. I think this would be a great gift for new toddlers. Kids appreciate the taco storyline and imagery and adults can appreciate the thoughtful way to teach coping and regulation skills. Highly recommend!

This was adorable! What a creative way to teach children about being perfect and the pressures we feel from society. This was so fun and educational. Definitely want to add to my daughters shelf!

Taco Falls Apart written by Brenda S. Miles is a great children's story that illustrates how one's thinking can really impact one's behaviour and feelings. This is a fun way to show kids the power of thinking and how through processes can be so powerful in changing the way we see ourselves.

As a parent of young children, I think this is an important story because children are always bombarded with expectations and sometimes it is difficult to remind them that they have the power to change their feelings. My youngest daughter really resonated with Taco and by the middle of the story she was Taco's biggest cheerleader. To me this is the mark of a successful story - where children can learn a valuable lesson while still having fun and hearing a great story.

Overall, if you're looking for a good way to teach your little humans about the power of positive self-talk, I think this is a great way to do that

I would like to thank the publisher (American Psychological Association) and the author for the opportunity to share this advance copy with my children. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book provided by the publisher, American Psychological Association, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks NetGalley for the preview!

This book was sweet and cute. I loved the pictures and the different food characters were awesome. The taco goes through a transformation and will be easy for littles to relate to. Wonderful book for when they are having a terrible day!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book provided by the publisher, American Psychological Association, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Taco Falls Apart" is a delightful children's book that captivated both my five-year-old and two-year-old with its beautiful illustrations, humor, and valuable life lessons. Written with a perfect blend of simplicity and creativity, this book effortlessly engages young readers while imparting important social-emotional lessons.

The author creatively uses the metaphor of a breaking taco to beautifully encapsulate the complex emotion of personal disappointment. This serves as a profound analogy, skillfully teaching young readers that imperfections and disappointments are part of life and do not detract from their value or potential. The anthropomorphized toppings, each endearing in their unique ways, act as a caring support network for the taco, simultaneously affirming its feelings while gently encouraging a shift towards positive thinking.

One of the standout features of this book is the inclusion of helpful practices for social-emotional learning at the end. These practices offer parents and teachers practical strategies to reinforce the book's lessons and further promote emotional intelligence in children. I personally will be using the information to help instill positive and affirming thoughts within my children.

In conclusion, "Taco Falls Apart" is a must-read for young children and their caregivers alike. Its beautiful illustrations, clever humor, and engaging storyline make it an enjoyable experience for kids of various ages. Moreover, the book's positive message about resilience and self-acceptance, along with the accompanying practices for social-emotional learning, make it an invaluable resource for parents and teachers seeking to promote emotional intelligence in children. I highly recommend "Taco Falls Apart" for anyone looking for a heartwarming and educational children's book that will leave a lasting impression.

In the story, Taco Falls Apart, Brenda S. Miles, does an amazing job portraying to young readers that our thoughts, feelings and actions are all connected. Taco is feeling sad and defeated. The world is expecting too much from him and he is at his breaking point. With a little help from Nacho and his other taco condiment friends, Taco changes his negative thoughts into positive ones and realizes he can be a terrific taco that stands tall and holds everyone together.

This is the perfect story to help children understand that one-side, negative thoughts can be reset and changed into positive ones, which is a hard concept for young minds to understand sometimes. The illustrations, punny humor and fun characters will be enjoyed by all and I am looking forward to recommending this story to our district the support the social-emotional learning of our young learners. Stories like "Taco Falls Apart" are so valuable in having those crucial conversations surrounding how the mind works and more importantly, offering strategies for young children to reset thoughts, feelings and actions just like Taco did in the story.

Thank you Brenda S. Miles, Magination Press, and NetGalley for the ARC and opportunity to leave this review! Can't wait to get my hands on a copy in August!

Can Taco keep it together? Taco is feeling so much pressure from everyone else he starts to give up, but his friends from Nacho to Lettuce help him to realize he needs to believe in himself and keep positive. Once he starts doing that things start to seem better all around. Super cute illustrations. A great story for kids about positive thinking and changing a negative attitude.

Me too, Taco, me too. This one was really cute and sweet and I think an important thing for kids to learn.

Cute book about a taco who has negative thoughts about himself. I like the author’s note at the bed addressing coping mechanisms and negative thoughts.

This was a cute story introducing the concept of mindfulness and emotional regulation to children! The author chose a unique concept of a taco who "falls apart" as a visual for tough emotions kids may feel when they get stressed or overwhelmed. The taco feels the weight of the world on his shoulders and that so much is expected of him. His taco condiment friends help ease his anxiety by offering support and encouragement.
The end of the book has information and exercises to help reinforce social emotional learning for children.
Highly recommend this book!
#TacoFallsApart #NetGalley

This book was adorable and cute. I read it with my 4.5 year old and he loved it! The pictures were colorful and fun. It was such a great kid read!

It was cute story about positive thinking. Think-Feel-Do- Being positive things will happen if you are misarable nothing will happen

Taco Falls Apart is a great children's book that shows a favorite food pulling itself out of a mental health funk. It shows kids that everyone gets stressed sometimes and that it's okay to feel your emotions. I love that Taco represents resilience and shows kids how to handle times when they don't feel completely okay.