Trick or Treat with Mariana Ríos Ramírez!

Hi, readers and writers, and holiday celebrators of all sorts! While we've been joyfully immersed in Halloween celebrations this season, today we are delighted to mark a different autumnal holiday - Día de Muertos. And, what better way to celebrate than with the wonderfully-talented Mariana Ríos Ramírez and her new book, Abuelita's Gift: A Día de Muertos Story. When Julieta is searching for a way to honor Abuleita on Día de Muertos, she struggles to find the perfect gift. It is only when Julieta embraces the memories she once shared with her abuelita, that she realizes the perfect gift comes from the heart. Want to know more about Mariana, her new book, Abuelita's Gift, PLUS want to know she's sharing a Trick or a Treat? Read on if you dare...

Q: Hi, Mariana! Thanks so much for joining us over at #SeasonsOfKidLit. We’re thrilled to have you Trick or Treat with us, and hear all about your fabulous picture book, Abuelita’s Gift.

Thanks so much for having me on your blog, Heather and Lynne Marie! I’m so excited and grateful to have this wonderful opportunity to share this book with you and your readers. 

First, can you share a little about how you got this idea and how it might have evolved from idea to publication?

A: When I moved from México to USA with my family in 2016 due to my husband’s job, we were suddenly exposed to a new culture, language and traditions, which we’ve embraced through the years. However, my husband and I also wanted our children to grow up with traditions from their own country and for them to keep in touch with their Mexican roots and family. For this reason, we started setting up an ofrenda for Día de Muertos. This became a beautiful family tradition, but it has also given us the opportunity to introduce our ancestors to our children and to share our memories with them. Our hope is that our kids will continue to set up an ofrenda with their own families, so they’ll always keep a piece of México and their ancestors in their lives. 

As for how this story evolved from idea to publication, I can share that when we started setting up our ofrenda as family, my children really enjoyed it, so I thought it would be interesting to share about Día de Muertos with other kids. However, at the beginning I struggled to make the manuscript work, because it was written more like a non fiction guide to celebrate Día de Muertos and it didn’t have much of a story. It took me several months of drafting, rewriting, and learning more about the craft of picture book writing to come up with a story set up around the celebration. I believe that it’s Julieta and Abuelita’s never ending love and connection what makes this book so special. The fact that readers can also learn about how Día de Muertos is celebrated in México provides another layer of appeal to Abuelita’s Gift. 

Q: Writing about death for little ones can present challenges. What advice can you share for those writing about and/or introducing this topic to young readers? 

A: Death is a topic that can be scary for children, but at the same time it’s something that’s very real and that it’s part of our lives. I believe that as writers we need to introduce this topic with care and thoughtfulness according to the readers’ ages, but also we must do it with transparency and in a realistic way. We can’t forget that maybe some children have already experienced this type of loss in their lives, and being able to see themselves in the story and how the characters navigate those big feelings might provide certain level of comfort. 

In Abuelita’s Gift there’s an image that shows Abuelita has died, and this is a very emotional part of the book. However, in that page, the text doesn’t explicitly say Abuelita passed away, instead the illustration tells the story and we get to see Julieta grieving and how that moment changed her deeply. I think these images help kids see that other children experience loss and sadness too, which can spark conversations with parents or teachers about death and how to cope with it.

Additionally, in Abuelita’s Gift death is approached in a unique way, since Día de Muertos is a tradition that embraces death with joy. As readers we witness how Julieta’s family rejoices in remembering and honoring their loved ones as they get ready to welcome their spirits with a traditional celebration involving food, music, and a colorful decoration of an ofrenda. This provides a sense of hope and comfort that even if our loved ones are gone, the strong feelings and connections we shared with them live on in our memories and hearts. 

Q: You have dealt with the topic of death and remembrance with celebration and creativity! There’s many children’s crafts and activities that are inspired by this book. Which one is your favorite, and why? 

A: After browsing through a lot of craft possibilities to include as activities in my events, one of my favorites is making or decorating a calaverita (skull) mask. 

Calaveritas are a basic element of Día de Muertos in México. They represent those who died and that death is a part of life. In fact, calaveritas not only decorate ofrendas, but it’s also very common to have children paint their faces like calaveritas during Día de Muertos, or even have exchanges of sugar/chocolate calaveritas with classmates and friends.

I’m hoping this craft will bring out the kids’ creativity, while it also has the potential of taking great pictures with them; so I’m looking forward to taking a lot of fun photos surrounded by colorful calaveritas as mementos of Abuelita’s Gift events.

Q:  Speaking to your wonderful, art inspiring words - were there many art notes? How did the process of your publishing obtaining just the right illustrator (Sara Palacios!!) play out?

A: I actually checked my original manuscript to answer this question, and yes, I included several art notes. Most of them were regarding the ofrenda and the elements it should include, while some others were about the food, the traditional dress that Julieta and Abuelita wear, or the objects inside Julieta’s memory box. 

As I worked through the editing process, there were some of those art notes that were no longer needed, or some that became part of the text. The fact that the illustrator, Sara Palacios, is Mexican also reduced the number of art notes I had to include because she had an understanding of the tradition.

As for how Sara came to be part of the team, it was my publisher who made the final decision. When my editor, Gianna Lakenauth, told me they were considering Sara as an illustrator, I was very excited because she’s Mexican like me and also because she’s very talented and I loved her portfolio. I think Sara’s art is beautiful and she was able to add so much heart to the storytelling of Abuelita’s Gift. I’m very grateful for the way she brought this book to life. 

Q: Highlight one of the day of the dead activities that is inspired by real life and how you may or may not have changed it to suit the book?

A: Visiting a Día de Muertos market is one of the traditional activities enjoyed by many during the season. These markets might look different from one region to another, but usually people can find traditional candies, sugar or chocolate skulls, flowers and Catrinas (elegantly dressed up skeletons).

In my hometown Toluca, the Día de Muertos market is called Feria del Alfeñique. It’s set up in downtown during the month of October and it receives a lot of visitors every year, from families to students in school trips.

As a kid I really enjoyed visiting la Feria del Alfeñique with my family, and later as a mom too. I remember buying calaveritas with my name on them and also bone shaped chocolates. For this reason, I wanted to include a market scene in the book and doing so brought back memories of the colors, scents, and sounds that made that place so special for me. 

Q: Does this story have any personal connections for you?

A: Although most of my stories do have personal connections, this one in particular features several. 

First, the name of the main character in the book is Julieta, which is the name of my maternal abuelita.

Then, the release day of the book is September 10th which happens to be my abuelita Julieta’s birthday. I’ve considered this coincidence to be such a special sign from the moment I heard the news. In addition to this, several characters in the story are named after my ancestors, and some characteristics of those characters are truly connected to my relatives. For example my abuelito José was truly a pilot while my bisabuela Cuca really loved to sew dresses. As you can imagine this book is very dear to my heart. 

What a wonderful way to honor your family. Thanks so much for sharing this with us!

Bonus question:  What food or activity pairs best with your book?

A: Regarding food, I’d say definitely pan de muerto. It’s not only very traditional as a symbol of Día de Muertos (it represents the circle of life and death), but it’s also delicious. 

As for an activity, setting up an ofrenda would be my number one choice, especially if you do it with your family. The ofrenda doesn’t need to be too elaborated. The main point is to honor your loved ones and remember them with things they used to love or that identify them (like their photos, favorite food, or mementos). By talking about them and sharing stories/memories you keep them alive for you and the future generations in the family who will never get to meet them in person.

Thanks again for joining us, Mariana! It was such a pleasure hosting you and your book!

Readers, want to know what I thought about Abuelita's Gift: A Día de Muertos Story? Check out this Peek-a-Boo Review!

Our reviews are also on Amazon and Goodreads.

Q: Would you like to leave a Trick or a Treat for our readers?

A: I’d love to give a treat for the readers. I’d be happy to send Abuelita’s Gift swag and a 30 minute AMA zoom to the winner of the giveaway. Good luck, everyone!

Wow, thanks for such a splendidly-sweet treat!

Giveaway Details: Readers, to enter to win Mariana's giveaway 1) share this post on social media and 2) leave a comment below to thank her for stopping by. Día de Muerto GIFs are encouraged and welcomed!

Winners for the Trick-or-Treat event will be drawn on or about 10/22!

*Books will be shipped in the US only.*

Note: Those who leave a comment on all posts will be eligible to win one (1) of ten (5) Rate Your Story Speed Passes, perfect for quick MS feedback, provided by Agent Mentee Lynne Marie & Author Heather Macht.

About Mariana Ríos Ramírez

Mariana Ríos Ramírez is a Mexican children’s book author who loves sharing elements of her culture, language, and traditions through her stories. She’s the author of Santiago’s Dinosaurios (Albert Whitman & Co. - 2022), Abuelita’s Gift: A Día de Muertos Story (Knopf Books for Young Readers – 2024) and it’s Spanish edition El regalo de abuelita: Un cuento de Día de Muertos. She’s a member of SCBWI, Las Musas, and Rate Your Story. 

Besides writing, Mariana loves photography, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. She currently resides in Anderson, South Carolina with her husband, two kids, and a Chihuahua dog named Rogers.

For more about Mariana, check out the below links:

Facebook: @marianarioswrites

Instagram/Threads: @marianariosr

Twitter: @marianariosrmz1

Bluesky: @marianarios.bsky.social

Linktree: linktr.ee/MarianaRiosR

Website: www.marianariosramirez.com

To purchase Mariana's books or to leave a review for them, click here.

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A special thanks to David Rodriguez Lorenzo for the amazing custom-signatures!