Mistaco: A Tale of Tragedy y Tortillas

by Eliza Kinkz

A chaotically funny debut picture book about a girl who's had a terrible day full of mistakes and finds that making mistacos could be a delicious solution.

After an awful day at school (including a tragic but plausibly deniable mishap with a pudding cup), Izzy wants to be left alone. But it's Friday, and that means making tortillas with Lito.

As the mistakes pile up, they come tumbling out of Izzy—and Lito surprises her by saying everyone makes mistakes, and if she makes a tortilla out of her mistakes, he will EAT it.

"Mmmm. . .spicy! And boogery! With a hint of courage. My favorite taco EVER!"

Suddenly, the whole family is confessing and getting mistakes off their chests with a feast of mistacos! A delightfully silly picture book for fans of Dragons Love Tacos and The Book of Mistakes. Includes instructions on how to make and enjoy your own mistacos!

Genres: Picture Books, Food, Family, Humor, Childrens, Latinx, Fiction

40 pages, Hardcover

Published April 1, 2025

Reviews

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book full of silliness and heart!

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Izzy tries to multitask, which causes her to make an overabundance of mistakes. This was cute, but I felt the girl didn't learn anything from her mistakes. Also, a little too much potty humor. But it was really nice that the family cared so much about her.

[Jennifer Eckert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely adorable and funny!

[Terresa Wellborn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The bright and shining tortilla, I mean book, in an otherwise endless sea of mediocre, sometimes brilliant picture books that I read every day, 24/7, 365 days/year. (I'm a kid's librarian, it's my job & also my passion!)

I just might be a bit like Izzy in this book: picky and bothered, self conscious and unwilling to let things go, like stepping in dog poo, falling on my face (which I did just last week, in a crowded parking lot wearing my favorite black patent leather Mary Janes), etc.

Read this book and fall in love, not only with freshly baked tortillas (which I already adore), but with Spanglish and the Tejana artist & author, dear, brilliant, and hilarious Eliza Kinkz.

PS: Confession...I actually took a picture of the Izzy illustration on the page where she gets her hair dried by the grownups after she's swarmed by bees; she's wearing the grumpiest face of all time. I hearted it on my cel to return to when I'm feeling grumpy too, to remember that life goes on, and if it's THAT bad, I can always eat a warm, cheesy, bean filled tortilla, tell it all my many (endless really) mistakes, and remember Izzy and this sweet, heart warming story.

Themes: tortillas, MISTAKES, humor, school shenanigans, SPANGLISH (all caps intended, because, well just read the book), realizing Everything is Going to Be OK (just toast up a tortilla, tell it all your mistakes and feel better)
Ages: all ages, especially 1-5th grade elementary school kids
Pub year: 2025

Favorite quotes:
"Izzy just wanted to hide.
Because hiding from your mistakes ALWAYS works."

~~ and ~~

"He (Lito) rolled out a tortilla and whispered,
"Share all your big mistakes again,
and I will make a taco out of them and EAT IT!"

"I don't want to share," huffed Izzy.

"But, mamita, I'm starving for mistakes!" whines Lito.
The tortilla puffed up like it agreed.

..."My favoritest taco EVER! GRACIAS for sharing your mistakes, mamita."

[Erika Andrade Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Spanglish blend, Mistaco is a clever twist on the term “eating your mistakes, ” which Izzy quite literally does under her Lito’s guidance. If feels like Izzy’s life is stuck between a Burt Toast Theory & Murphy’s Law continuum! She claims, albeit frustratedly, that she is the president of mistakes & today she made more than she’d like to admit.

Having dough land on her face while making tortillas with Lita es la gota que derrama el vaso though, and Izzy finally breaks down & explains why she is so flustered. Her confession has her extended family holding back laughter. As a bilingual family, we have already adopted the term mistaco, especially for mistakes that make us feel a bit embarrased. Kinkz’s book reminds us that maybe our tiny every day mistakes are an inconvenience, but we also have the emotional capacity & intelligence to move past them & show mercy to ourselves.

[Leigh Collazo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so cute! There is a lot going on in the illustrations, so take some time to really look at them. They add to the text and give more insight into what's happening.

I always love books that blend English and Spanish words. I live in Texas, and many people here speak at least some Spanish. It's important that young students start learning some basics.

This is a great read-aloud for Hispanic Heritage Month (Sep 15-Oct 15). Topics of discussion can include Latinx cuisine, large extended families, and speaking Spanglish. There is also an extended metaphor of "eating your mistakes," as well as SEL lessons about the fun side of making mistakes.

I recommend PreS-Grade 3 for this fun, colorful story of a young girl who learns to laugh at her mistakes.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A humorous picture book about accident prone Izzy who calls herself the President of Mistakes. Then she has a really horrible, very bad day that involves laughing while eating chicken nuggets and slipping on a cup of chocolate pudding that gets stuck to her butt. Poor Izzy! So she's in a terrible mood for Friday making tortillas night with her grandparents and simply loses it when none of her tortillas are perfectly round. However, her supportive grandfather, Lito, tells her that he will eat all her mistakes. He says he loves eating them. "Lito!!! You know what we should call these? Mistacos!" A wonderful story with a wonderful message that will be fun to read and share! Also don't miss the pages on How to Make a Mistaco and Spanglish at the back!

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Izzy is having a very bad day. She just can’t stop making mistakes. In fact, she made a huge mistake at school and doesn’t want to talk about it! When they go to visit her Lita and Lito’s house, Izzy just wants to be left alone. Instead she is asked to help make tortillas. Now there are even more mistakes! Can Izzy find a way to get past her mistakes and laugh about things again? A large and merry family supports Izzy in her struggles with mistakes, finding a creative way together to help her see that mistakes can be delicious. With rambunctious illustrations full of speech bubbles, action and joy, this picture book invites us all to laugh more together.

Appropriate for ages 4-8.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wait... I'm obsessed with this picture book. Even though it's the last page I want to mention first that the note from Kinkz about the importance of allowing kids to use Spanglish is so refreshing. She points out that it's a easy way to preserve culture rather than forcing kids to speak one language or the other when at home.

The way both languages are peppered in make it a fun selection for my bilingual storytimes where we have patrons who speak both. And the illustrations are so fun and the dialogue will definitely make the kiddos crack up.

I'm a huge fan. <3

[Nicole Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book for my honest opinion.

Izzy is having a terrible, mistake-filled day and now her family wants her to help make tortillas! What could go wrong? I loved this funny, cute book about eating your mistakes. The art style is messy perfect, fitting in with the “mistakes” theme. Lastly, I love the back matter about how to make your own mistaco and the importance of Spanglish.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this! Such a funny book and kids will love the humor. A girl is always making mistakes and feels bad about something that happen at school that day. Her Lito tells her to whisper the mistake into a fresh tortilla and then he will eat it. After that it's silliness and sweetness. The family is so wonderful and does a great job helping her see that we all make mistakes. A great read aloud for a older elementary group for sure!

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, so my feelings are very mixed on this book.

What I did like:
1.) I liked that this was a very relatable way to teach that it's okay to make mistakes. And we all make them. Every single person has those difficult moments in life; it's what we do with them.
2.) I also appreciated why this book used Spanglish and they were very intentional about it!

What I didn't like:
1.) Illustrations were not my style
2.) The book was almost too busy. I struggled with focus.

[Aolund · Rating 5 out of 5]

Izzy is bursting with embarrassment over a mistake she made at school, so much so that she can't enjoy making tortillas with her Lito (abuelito) at the weekly family gathering. She keeps making mistakes! Thankfully, Lito knows just what to do: put all of her mistakes into a taco, which he then eats right up with gusto. A joyous Spanglish story of working through mistakes with family.

Themes: Mistakes, Embarrassment, Tacos, Family, Grandparents
Age range: Kindergarten - Elementary

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is something both odd and very fun about stuffing your tacos full of your mistakes and then EATING them. The family camaraderie just adds to the joy.

My only complaint is that the handwritten text was literally impossible for me to decipher at one point. It was a minor issue and I was able to gloss over it, but from a design standpoint it should have been adjusted in a book meant for young kids.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eliza Kinkz is a perfect addition to children's books. She's funny and knows how to use bathroom humor so that kids and parents will chuckle. But she also is teaching a valuable lesson about making mistakes. Plus it features a diverse family speaking in Spanglish.

Her art is wild and crazy, but so fun and bright.

Love it!

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is great to talk about growth mindset, but also so funny and clever.

A young girl is always making mistakes and hates her mistakes. But then Lito says to speak her mistakes into a tortilla, fold it into a "Mistaco" and eat it and the mistake will feel better. That seems ridiculous at first, but she tries it and it works. I love the "Spanglish" and the lesson taught in a humorous way.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Izzy is always making mistakes. At school she made one so big she now has an unfortunate nickname. When she tells her family and extended family about it, sure, they all laugh, but they also tell her all about their mistakes. In the process, Izzy creates a new dish - mistaco! Recipe included.

Hilarious read aloud.

[Jacqui · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 2026 Texas 2x2 List. What a nice concept for a young child who makes mistakes. Izzy has had an awful day at school. She is a mess when she gets to her Lito and Lilo’s house with her family. Her Lito helps her make tortilla. He coaxes her into telling her mistakes to the tortilla and eat it. Since we all make mistakes, maybe we all need to make Mistacos.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this very busy book with vibrant, childlike illustrations, a little girl struggles with the fallout of a mistake-filled day in which everything seems to go wrong. Lots of culture and vocabulary and nice modelling of a parent helping a child overcome a bad day.

[Clarissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This hilarious book can help us to laugh at our mistakes while we gobble them up inside a taco. The art is really fun and Izzy's family are warm and funny. Every kid who ever made a mistake will relate to this story!

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great story! Rolling out tortillas into circles is easier said than done. I love how Eliza Kinkz, the author and illustrator, uses tortilla-making in such a clever way to uncover how mistakes don’t have to so bad as we make them.

[Pam Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a laugh out loud book! Everyone should have a Mistaco party and practice laughing at our mistakes!

[Kimberly Zavala · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny book about making mistakes and learning to put them behind you. Potty humor is prevalent, so this might not be a read aloud.

[Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laugh out loud story of learning to move on from one's mistakes. Would love to read more of these characters, perhaps as early readers or beginning chapter books.

[SamSamSam · Rating 4 out of 5]

An elementary classroom would have SO much fun with this

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

So awesome. I wish I had this book as an awkward ADHD kid, but it was pretty affirming as an awkward ADHD adult too. I’m really glad the current generation of kids has stuff like this.

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the style, love the message, love the mistakes, laughed out loud at the tragedy that befell her at school.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great beginning of the year book!

[Cara Byrne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A joyful, lighthearted celebration of embracing and overcoming embarrassing mistakes. I love the one-pager on why the author/illustrator used Spanglish in the back of the book!

[Megan Sanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, now I want to know what the flamingo joke was!!