Tacos Anyone? An Autism Story (2005 Barbara Jordan Media Award) (English and Spanish Text) (Spanish and English Edition) [Hardcover]

Marvie Ellis (Author), Jenny Loehr (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: An Autism Story

Summary: Michael is a four year old boy with autism. His older brother, Thomas, doesn't understand why Michael behaves the way he does. The therapist teaches Thomas how to play with Michael, making sibling time fun again. This fully color illustrated, bilingual (English and Spanish) children's book is written for young readers, parents, siblings, family members, and professionals who work with children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Recipient of the 2005 Barbara Jordan Media Award.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Thanks to Marvie's books, Keisha's Doors: An Autism Story and Taco's Anyone? An Autism Story, my daughter, (age 7) and I have grown closer with the talks that have followed reading them. The book(s) have opened up opportunities for the two of us to have some very frank and deep discussions about what it is like to a) have a son with autism and b) have a brother with autism and has allowed us to share on a level that we really, believe it or not with all of the activism in this house, have not connected on prior to this. She realized from reading these books that she needs to learn to take cues from her older brother and bend to fit his interests to engage him to play with her. Her approach with him over the last month in reading this book once a week has softened even more and her compassion has grown. She is seeing the world a little more through his eyes than just her own, and to view things from another person's perspective is a big lesson in life for anyone to learn, much less a seven year old child. --Shelley Hendrix Reynolds, President , Unlocking Autism

“This is a very simple to read, yet factually accurate story of a child with autism." --Kapila Seshadri, M.D., Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Section Head, Section of NeuroDevelopmental Disabilities, Department of Pediatrics, UMDNJ- Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Jersey, December 21, 2004

"It explains some... challenges for a child with autism in such a clear manner for a sibling to understand.” --Lori Hickman, M.S., OTR/L, STARS (Student Therapies and Resource Services), November 4, 2004

About the Author

Marvie Ellis is an award winning author, a pediatric speech-language pathologist and educational consultant for parents and educators regarding autism and other communicative disorders. She specializes in working with young children with communication needs and their families.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Speech Kids Texas Press, Inc.; 1st edition (July 1, 2005)
• Language: Spanish, English
• ISBN-10: 193331902X
• ISBN-13: 978-1933319025
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #636,691 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars QUITE A REMARKABLE WORK ON SEVERAL LEVELS, April 6, 2007

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D. Blankenship (The Ozarks) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Tacos Anyone? An Autism Story (2005 Barbara Jordan Media Award) (English and Spanish Text) (Spanish and English Edition) (Hardcover)

I must admit to being impressed, even as I first opened this book, and then it just kept getting better and better. What an insightful work! The author has addressed the condition of autism through the eyes of a sibling, an older brother. This is rather unique and useful in itself, as we often forget that the brothers and sisters of these wonderful children are usually as devastated as the parents, more so at times. I feel, often times they do not have the understanding that an adult may have. This work addresses just this problem.

The narrative is simple and to the point. I was delighted to see that it was in both English and in Spanish. The demographics in our part of the country have changed dramatically over the past five years, and to be honest, we were ill prepared for it. Books such as this go far in closing the resource gap. This is a good thing! The concise syntax the author uses is easy to read and easy to understand and has a very nice flow to it.

I was also quite impressed with the illustrations by Jenny Loehr. They were executed in a style I found particularly pleasing and one that I feel children can well relate to. The art work corresponded perfectly with the text, both of which complimented each other in a very effective way. I loved the way the artist could convey so much feeling through the facial expressions of her subjects.

This condition, autism, is one of those that can be, and often is, one of the most devastating events that can happen to any family. Sadly, so little is known about the subject and there is so little understanding. This work, and others like it make a very good start in correcting part of this problem. It should be noted that it certainly would not hurt many adults to read this book along with the little ones, there is much to learn here. I do highly recommend you add this one to your resource library or to your home library. It is truly a good work!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful, inspirational book designed to help children relate to their autistic peers, May 2, 2007

By 

Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Tacos Anyone? An Autism Story (2005 Barbara Jordan Media Award) (English and Spanish Text) (Spanish and English Edition) (Hardcover)

Maybe you're looking at this book and wondering what tacos could possibly have to do with autism. A taco's a taco, right? And what do you do with a taco? You eat it. It couldn't be simpler. You don't even have to think about it. It turns out, however, that you've got it all wrong; no one can eat the kind of tacos referred to in this book. I haven't even gotten to the story yet, but this little exercise alone does a great job of showing you what this book is all about. Tacos Anyone? is all about describing some of the characteristics of the autistic child and helping his/her loved ones (especially young siblings) relate to his/her special needs. And to understand the autistic child, you have to step back and change your way of thinking (just like your conception of tacos will change as you get into this story), and it takes a conscious effort to do that each and every time.

Young Thomas already knows that his little brother Michael has autism. He doesn't know what that means exactly, but he does know that he isn't very successful when he tries to get Michael to play with him. He's also bothered by some of the things Michael does for no apparent reason. That's when Michael's therapist comes into the story. First, we see some of the exercises and activities she does with Michael, but then we see her bring Thomas in as well and show him how to better communicate with his little brother. This kind of family involvement is vital in the life of the autistic child, and author Marvie Ellis really succeeds at showing how therapy is for the family as well as the autistic child. An autistic child can have the greatest therapist in the world, but he/she will never reach his/her true potential without the love, support, and assistance of loved ones.

Just like Keisha's Doors, this second book in the Autism Story Book series communicates a wonderful, heart-warming message and would surely benefit anyone who deals directly or indirectly with an autistic child. It is especially good at helping the brothers and sisters of autistic children understand and better relate to their special siblings. The book's dual language format (English and Spanish), along with the wonderfully expressive illustrations of Jenny Loehr, give it a broad, intercultural appeal. Tacos Anyone? truly conveys a most inspirational message and spirit.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tacos Anyone?, November 17, 2005

By 

D. Villarreal - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Tacos Anyone? An Autism Story (2005 Barbara Jordan Media Award) (English and Spanish Text) (Spanish and English Edition) (Hardcover)

Siblings of children with autism often struggle with understanding what autism is and why they don't have the same sibling relationship that their friends have with their brothers or sisters. Tacos Anyone and Marvie Ellis' Keisha's Doors both offer a glimpse into the autistic child's world that a sibling can understand. I also like that Ellis used a therapist character in her books to illustrate how a sibling might try and interact with their autistic brother or sister.