The Taco Stand

K-Gr 3–Vasquez tells the story of his grandmother Isabel and her famous tacos, which everyone in her Arizona town loved to eat. Isabel rises every morning to cook breakfast for her family. After breakfast, she makes more tacos that her sons Ralphie and Georgie sell at their homemade stand. In the afternoons, as the boys play baseball, Isabel watches from her porch, and when the sun goes down, she heads back to her kitchen to prepare a Mexican feast. One day, a stranger joins the line to buy a taco at the stand. Inspired by the taste and the long line, the stranger proposes, “Big business, Isabel.” But Isabel realizes that his suggestion would create a big upheaval in her life that would ultimately compromise her tacos, all so she can eventually retire and enjoy a life she already loves. A particularly busy and chaotic illustration captures the stranger’s plan. In an afterword, the author tells readers that many years later Isabel and her husband Poncho did open a restaurant, which is now run by her grandchildren and is still successful. A glossary of Mexican food terms is included.