My Tata’s Remedies / Los Remedios de mi Tata

Reviews/Quotes

“My Tata’s Remedies / Los remedios de mi Tata” is a charming book, essential to the efforts of recognizing the significance of the traditional home culture of Latino children. The book reinforces both the meaningful bond between children and grandparents, of all cultures, as well as the value of herbs and their role in our health and wellness. “My Tata’s Remedies / Los remedios de mi Tata” needs to be present in every library, every classroom and every home. Alma Flor Ada "This is a treasure chest filled with memories of my grandparents and my mother, who was a certified natural healer. The remedies in this book are natural, traditional and - the best part - they work! The fact that they are given with added love and caring makes healing more special for all." Raúl H. Castro, former Governor of Arizona & U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador, Bolivia & Argentina Roni, tu libro está lleno de tesoros! Me encantan los nombres de los remedios y sus constituyentes, todos suenan como palabras mágicas antiguas. ¡Cuánta investigación! Roni, your book is full of treasures! I love the names of the remedies and their components. They all sound like antique words of magic. What a tremendous amount of research! Rimar se me hace una empresa tan difícil por tener que coincidir y al mismo tiempo rimar en inglés tanto como en español. Tu libro es mucho más que una rima, es una cajita de sorpresas. To me rhyming seems to be a difficult task with having to move from one language to another and at the same time have to rhyme in English as well as in Spanish. Your book is much more than a rhyme, it is a chest of surprises. Me encantó al final descubrir que el abuelo ha hecho un balero. Tu texto habla por si solo. I loved discovering at the end of the story that the grandfather had carved a balero. Your text speaks for itself. Tu creación es una caja que ayudará a conservar los tesoros de nuestra cultura . Your creation is a collective that will help preserve the treasures of our culture. Roni, no pude evitar escribirte mis impresiones sobre Los Remedios de mi Tata. Roni, I could not help but share my impressions about My Tata’s Remedies with you. Yuyi Morales, Award-winning Illustrator & Author “Healing in the traditional ways of our ancestors is very important. It perpetuates the legacy of the Yaqui heritage; of all of us who have an indigenous ancestry from the times of the ancients. Learning about traditional healing plants is part of that legacy, so that the young ones learn to carry forth this knowledge into the new world, generations from now. Many healing plants of our ancestors are now used in modern ways and can be found in your medicine cabinets and in pharmacies. My Tata’s Remedies, allows for the young ones to learn and for the parents to remember that this is how we cared for each other in times of illness, when no hospitals existed for us. Even now, we can return to our ancestors’ ways and plant our gardens with these medicines, and once more seek the knowledge that was passed down to us, as we settled in this beautiful desert and carried the healing secrets of our Tata’s and our Nana’s. Amalia Amacio Molina Reyes, tribal and ceremonial member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe. TESTIMONIAL FROM BYRD BAYLOR I grew up using Sonoran desert remedies and assumed that everyone drank “greasewood tea” to cure a stomach ache and put aloe vera on a burn – so this book is familiar territory. Even so, I’ve learned many new plant uses from My Tata’s Remedies and I’ll keep it handy on my kitchen shelf. Byrd Baylor, Award-winning Author Four of her books have achieved Caldecott Honor |||| REVIEWS: Kirkus Reviews [Roni Capin] Rivera-Ashford offers another semiautobiographical and child-friendly recounting of the importance of sharing intergenerational wisdom, this time accompanied by Castro L.'s expressive illustrations. … So many cultural treasures are dependent on word-of-mouth transmission, and this story encourages grandparents to lovingly pass on their knowledge to eager grandchildren and family members. - Kirkus Reviews, April 1, 2015 Booklist Online Remarkable, realistic watercolor illustrations reveal the emotions felt by the sufferers, while the bilingual text conveys Tata’s expertise in alleviating their discomfort and in teaching his grandson about natural remedies. … An illuminating glimpse into a tradition not often addressed in children’s literature. - Maryann Owen, April 15, 2015 Smithsonian Book Dragon Blog In our overprescribed, overstimulated, overscheduled lives, author Roni Capin Rivera-Ashford reminds us about family traditions, cross-cultural and inter-generational support, building community, and taking the time to share, listen, and heal one another. … Illustrator Antonio Castro L.’s signature style – minutely detailed, meticulously thorough, richly colored – enhances the realism of Rivera-Ashford’s story. - Terry Hong , May 5, 2015 Midwest Book Review “My Tata’s Remedies” is a beautiful bicultural book presenting healing herb lore laced with love in an Hispanic tradition, with roots in the American Southwest. - Midwest Book Review , July 20, 2015 Edible Baja Arizona “In both English and Spanish, the book is practical and useful, as well as entertaining for children.” - Molly Kincaid, September 15, 2015 Kiss The Book Told in both Spanish and English, this book is a great introduction to natural healing practices and the use of medicinal plants. - Lisa Morey, January 13, 2016 Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs In this beautifully constructed book, the topic of traditional natural medicine takes center stage … Roni Rivera-Ashford portrays a loving intergenerational relationship between Tata Gus and Aaron, one in which wisdom and knowledge are patiently passed down from grandfather to grandson. - May 28, 2016 De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children Rather than a typical European “beginning-conflict-resolution” children’s story that tells rather than shows, this beautiful book shows how oral teaching of traditional herbal remedies is transmitted across generations of community. - Beverly Slapin, June 14, 2016