I enjoyed reading this book because it was well illustrated and it gave a good perspective on how grandparents can have a great influence on children. It was apparent how Aaron was learning from his grandfather and how each herb had a purpose. Aaron was proactive in helping his grandfather too because he would great and invite the patients in, as if they were one of his own. His grandfather also kept reminding him to always practice what he learns so he wouldn’t forget. That is how his grandfather learned and how his remedies have been passed down from generation to generation. Also, the illustration made the characters come alive. Grandpas wrinkles were defined and his actions were apparent. For example, when he started clapping, you can see sound waves coming out of his hands. Also, when he was twirling the wooden toy, the actions lines were present as well. The detail on the mariachi costumes were well defined. The jewelry and shade went hand in hand. Not only did this book bring out the beauty of Mexican culture but it brought out the concept of how practice and perseverance will help you get better! ( )

"My Tata's Remedies" is about Aaron and his Tata, who has a remedy for just about any ailment. One day, Aaron asks about these remedies and Tata shows him as more and more patients come to his door. This book was written in both English and Spanish, which is great for bilingual children or kids who are trying to learn English. This book also educates the readers about a bunch of different plants and how you can use them for common injuries and ailments. The art in the book is very realistic and detailed. If I were doing a series of plant-themed lessons, I could use this book to help show a variety of new plants and ways to show children how to help heal bee stings or bumps to the head.

I liked this book mainly because of the overall the plot and illustrations. I have always been interested in holistic remedies and this book is a great way to introduce that topic to children. Tata uses natural herbs and home remedies to relieve the suffering of his family and neighbors. Although the plot seemed pretty unlikely--all neighbors and family come on the very same day tapping on Tata's door--I liked how Tata was passing his knowledge down to his grandson. It's pretty neat to see how aloe, tomatoes, coffee, and corn silk as well as other less common plants can be used as cures. I also liked the illustrations in the book. The brightly colored artwork depicts the plants alongside the storyline, and then additional information about them is provided in the glossary. The author has also provided bilingual cautionary notes about how to use the herbs. Overall the big picture is to show children that if they want to be great at something, like healing, they must practice it everyday. ( )

I thoroughly enjoyed this book for several reasons. The first reason being that the book is in English and Spanish so it allows more students who are English learners to read in their home language if Spanish is it but also learn English at the same time. This book will help English learners become more comfortable reading in the classroom. Another reason I like the book is because the language the author uses. The language is very descriptive and uses different punctuations and makes the book exciting to read. For example, in the book it says A loving grandfather is like a santo remedio- a magical cure! When the book includes different language within the English, it excites me to read. The illustrations are very helpful, it gives an image to what is being said in the story. I absolutely love the glossary of medicinal herbs and remedies in the back of the book. This is very helpful because throughout the book, the grandfather uses a lot of different herbs that people may not always know what they are. This helps to better understand what the herb is and what it is used for and how it can be used. For example, the herb Mud is used to treat various ailments of the skin, including stings and bites from animals. He glossary also includes how Tata (the grandfather) used the herb in the story in the book. Below each herb, the information in English is also written in Spanish. The boy in the story really enjoyed spending time with his Tata because he is a good teacher and he’s lucky to have him around. This brings us to the big idea of the book which is even though we may not always like our grandparents, we should be thankful to have them around as long as we can and they can help teach us a lot. We need to spend as much time as we can with our family because they can teach us a lot and we never know how long they will be around for especially when they get older. We need to love them unconditionally. ( )

I really liked this book for several reasons. The big idea of this story is that there are home remedies that are traditional for hispanic families. It is good for children to realize that everyone has different methods for healing and that no method should be made fun of. However, some remedies may not be appropriate in some cultures, so children may not be allowed to try all of the remedies at home. For example, not every family would find it socially acceptable to rub tomatoes on your feet when you have the flu, but this should not be looked down upon if that is a tradition for some students. There is a glossary of different home remedies at the end of the book for students to try with permission from their families. Most of these remedies involve common foods such as coffee and tomatoes, but they are used in ways that are unique to Spanish culture. This adds a multicultural food aspect to this story as well as multicultural healing techniques. Instead of one plot with large conflicts and resolutions, there is a new health problem or injury on each page so multiple remedies can be introduced. Although this is not a traditional plot, it is engaging and each page tells a new story. The book is written in both English and Spanish. This is great for students who need to learn English, since they can enjoy the book in their home language while also having the direct English translation. The text is small and there are a lot of words on each page, so it is definitely written for older elementary school readers. The illustrations are realistic and detailed, which helps keep readers engaged. This book is recommended for children’s in grades 3-5, which seems appropriate. This is a great bilingual book for any 3rd-5th grade classroom. ( )