Food Truck Fest!

by Alexandra Penfold, Mike Dutton (Illustrator)

Join the members of one family as they head to the Food Truck Fest! They gather their things, cross the bridge, and prepare for a fun-filled day. And as they get ready, the workers on the food trucks get ready, too--preparing, tasting, and traveling across the bridge to join all the other kitchens-on-wheels. With delicious free samples and cuisines from around the world, it's a day of trying new things and having fun together!

Genres: Picture Books, Food, Transport, Childrens, Storytime, Trucks, Juvenile

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 13, 2018

Reviews

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A community comes together to celebrate diversity through the universal language of food. A fun and unique picture book!

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

The niece read this on her own and she brought it too me and told me to read it. So I did. She thought it was a good story. She gave it 5 stars. So I read it to the nephew. He got bored and wanted a different book so we didn't finish it for him.

The art work is like a collage. The food was colorful and it made me hungry. The food truck phenom is sweeping the nation. It's all about the food. There is also a family who is excited to get ready and hit the park for the Food Truck yum.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

With rhyming text and bright illustrations, author/artist team Alexandra Penfold and Mike Dutton create an engaging picture-book celebration of food trucks, and the annual festival held to highlight their delicious goods. "Over at the depot and up with the sun, / the food trucks get ready. Today will be fun!" So begins this story, which emphasizes both the hard work done by the food truck proprietors and the enjoyment experienced by their customers...

Having co-authored an adult book about the food trucks of New York ( New York a la Cart: Recipes and Stories from the Big Apple's Best Food Trucks ), it should come as no surprise to find that Penfold has turned to that subject in Food Truck Fest!, her fourth picture-book for young children. Her rhyming text is engaging, making for an excellent read-aloud selection, while Dutton's bright and colorful artwork captures the excitement and fun of the day being described. Recommended to all little foodies, and to anyone looking for entertaining picture-books in rhyme.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taste this morsel called falafel.
Or polish off a Belgian waffle.
Kimchi tacos,
that's no illusion.
Korean and Mexican
make a tasty fusion.

One of the drawbacks to living in a rural area is NO FOOD TRUCKS! It makes me sad to think of all the taste sensations I'm missing out on. Anyway, make sure your belly is full before perusing this rhyming tale of colorful yumminess!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This picture book makes me nostalgic for all the wonderful festivals I used to attend when I lived in New Orleans--the Jazz Fest, the Greek Fest, the Cajun Fest. While just being outdoors was part of the charm, and yes, music had its place in all those venues, the food was one of the chief attractions for many attendees like me who would often be torn about which favorite foods needed to be sampled first. Often, attendance turned into a series of standing in line to get food, devour that food, let it digest, and then head to another line to grab another delicacy. Complemented by colorful illustrations and told in rhyming text that flows just right, this picture book introduces youngsters to the joys of eating great food, sometimes enhanced by the fact that it was prepared in a truck. Readers will note the early morning preparation that is necessary long before anyone arrives to make a food purchase. While the food trucks get ready and head to their destination, one family is getting ready to go there too. All sorts of yummy foods from different cultures are on sale at this particular food fest, which might make trying something a little bit different more appealing to youngsters. At the end of the day, the trucks close up and clean up in preparation for the next big event while the contented--and full--family--heads home. Clearly, this creative team has spent some time noshing on the offerings at some local festivals since they seem to know that no matter how full someone is, there is always room for dessert. Ah, how I miss those baklava sundaes at the Greek Fest! It's almost worth a flight to the city to enjoy a couple of those sinfully good delicacies.

[Lys · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wicked cute with very sweet illustrations! I wasn't totally into the rhyme but I loved the depictions of different types of people coming together to eat all types of cuisine.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great hipster baby book! Rhyming scheme and colorful pictures along with a trendy theme. I'm most impressed by the variety of trucks, and the nod to reality that the lines get really long :)

Cute and fun!

[Aliza Werner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me hungry! I loved seeing so many different types of cuisine from various cultures. I wish we had a food truck fest around here.

[Our Weekend Is Booked · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was drawn to the illustrations on the cover (totally guilty of judging a book by it's cover) and so I snatched this up at the library. The premise of the book is describing what a food truck fest is and types of foods you may find on a food truck. There is actually a weekly food truck fest happening nearby so I thought this book was great introduction on what to expect when we actually go to our local food truck fest.

[Serenity · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received a free review copy of this book from the publisher through my district library services*

A fun look at food trucks, with rhyming text and a little repetition, which should make for a good read aloud. Readers who take the time to look closely at the illustrations will appreciate the humor (the mystery of the baby's shoe, some of the truck names). Readers who have attended a foodie festival or enjoy food trucks will appreciate this look. For those not familiar, it will probably create some curiosity.

[Amber Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Food Truck Fest by Alexandra Penfold, a family prepares to head to the food truck festival while the trucks and chefs are also getting ready. The story follows the process the trucks and chefs go through to get ready for the event as well as the preparations the family makes to spend the day at the festival. The trucks each have their own speciality that is showcased throughout the book. The flow of the story keeps children entertained and it made the reader want to head straight out to a food truck festival.

[Jennifer Sanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

My four year old picked this book out at the library and loved it! He enjoys our neighborhood Food Truck Friday events and was able to connect to the excitement of the event in this story. I definitely related to the parents in the illustrations as they rush around getting ready, tag team tending to their children’s needs, and fall asleep from joyful exhaustion on the way home. The lyrical story and repeating refrain made for the perfect read aloud.

[Meghan Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I think it shows diversity in a subtle way that can speak to anyone--using the language of food. My favorite lines are "Taste this morsel called falafel. Or polish of a Belgian waffle. Kimchi tacos, that's no illusion. Korean and Mexican make a tasty fusion."

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A deliciously lively, rhyming celebration of world cuisines.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent rhymes and fun story. Great book for families to read together. FUN!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised...this book was a lot of fun. I like rhyming children's books, and this one was combined with a new concept for a story and good illustrations.

[Jasmine Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustration. A great ode to the foodie culture.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story with rhyme shows the hard work that goes into running a food truck and the yummy ethnic eats they provide.

[RJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rhymes, food, trucks, and a story of a family rushing to get ready for their day threaded through. A coworker pointed this one out to me and I'm definitely going to work it into a storytime!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars to reflect how much my toddler likes this book (he is currently very into food trucks). Decent rhyme scheme, and he enjoys the repetition of the phrase "no time to rest, everybody's going to the food truck fest!" I appreciate the diversity of cuisines represented.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful and colorful illustrations! Great story about a food truck festival and a family getting ready for it along with everyone else. I LOVE the baby shoe mystery part of the story. The text doesn't tell you where it is, but the illustrations do! Love it.

[kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved the illustrations and the story until the bridge was blocked by turtles? then all the food trucks and people took the ferry? where the hell is this city?

[Regine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pleasantly propulsive verse.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lively, bright and fun with bouncy rhyming text.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was great. I really liked it.

[Annie Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the easter eggs.

[Lisa D · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! A great unique book about food trucks for kids

[Jenny Yergin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

great rhymes and illustrations

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This happens in a community nearby every Thursday in the Summer. This will be such a fun book to share with my library families.