Reading Retreat: DRAGONS LOVE TACOS by Adam Rubin
I told myself years ago that no one should be ashamed or feel the need to justify themselves when they add a picture book to their yearly book count (at least for those who still do a quantity challenge). My reasoning being that just because theyâre written for children does not make them less as books. Any suggestion like that would be absurd, so why would it be absurd to include them in, say, your Goodreads Reading Challenge? And this also goes for manga or anything that is technically considered a book.
In truth, I still feel some niggling shame, I think coming from a fear of being judged. (Because theyâre not âseriousâ books befitting an âadultâ like me, blah, blah.) I know these qualifications are false and arbitraryâpretentious & discriminatory, at worstâso I barrel through the internal shame and post them. I wish I didnât feel the need to defend this choice as often, though.
Anyway, a few books just arrived at my house (c/o our workplace free book program), including DRAGONS LOVE TACOS, which I have not read yet, tbh. I canât remember if I got this for me or for my niece, but Iâve decided to give it to the niece, though not without me reading it first!
I still love reading a good picture book. I donât have the childlike wonder anymore while reading Rubinâs work, but I tried to remember what it felt like to read a similar book I loved when I was a kid called, BUT NO ELEPHANTS!, with all the absurdity of hosting a large animal in your home. Itâs still magical. I also think this remembrance and ability to relive this magic comes from an immense privilege of my parents buying my books and reading to me when I was a kid. Donât know if the kids I give books to found that magic, but I hope they do.
So yes, book 3 in this long weekend at-home reading retreat done and dusted! And now Iâm off to give it to the niece.