Rubin sounded pleasantly dumbfounded by what happened next, including best-sellerdom, merchandise and invitations to attend birthday parties hosted by strangers. Afterward (surprise!) they went out for tacos. Rubin and Salmieri celebrated the book’s publication with a modest event at Books of Wonder in New York City.

Unlike humans who can enjoy spicy salsa with very few repercussions, a dragon will erupt in flames.” But following that logic, a dragon probably wouldn’t like spicy salsa. “It just always stuck in my mind that, of course, dragons would like tacos,” Rubin explained. The story was inspired by a little statue in Rubin’s childhood home - one that sat on his father’s desk and appeared to be a dragon eating a taco. “When I sent Dan the first draft of ‘Dragons Love Tacos,’ he was the first one to say, ‘This is going to be big.’” “I would work all day and then come home and write at night at my kitchen table,” he said.

“If it reaches a certain threshold of heat, I get the hiccups and that’s how I know I’ve reached my limit,” Rubin said.īefore he wrote “Dragons Love Tacos,” which inspired a sequel, a line of stuffed animals, a seven-foot-tall dragon costume and countless themed birthday parties, Rubin was an advertising copywriter who worked on Happy Meal commercials. In a phone interview, Rubin recalled their pilgrimage to Taqueria al Pastor in Brooklyn, where the pair enjoyed a meal with all the toppings plus spicy salsa. So how did Adam Rubin, the author of “Dragons Love Tacos” and Daniel Salmieri, the creator of the book’s detailed illustrations, celebrate the birthday of their juggernaut? They went out for tacos, of course. One can imagine that the negative feedback comes from adults who are tired of repeat requests for “Dragons Love Tacos.” (If you’ve been the master of ceremonies at bedtime, you understand why wedding singers loathe “At Last.”)

It celebrates its 10th anniversary this month, having logged a jaw-dropping 357 weeks as a best seller. Nevertheless, “Dragons Love Tacos” has close to 15,000 ratings, with an average of 4.8 stars. “I just don’t get the hype,” writes another critic. “Seriously, a fire breathing dragon doesn’t like spicy tacos?!!!?” writes one reader - or, more likely, a parent or caregiver of a reader, since we’re talking about a picture book. The latest Amazon reviews of “Dragons Love Tacos” are less than stellar.

Adam rubin and daniel salmieri