What Treat Can Ruben Eat?

About the Book

"The book is about a young raccoon, Ruben, and his challenges living with food allergies. Ruben eventually realizes that his “challenges” are nothing to worry about after all. Children and adults will fall in love with the cute illustrations of Ruben and his adorable woodland friends as he goes through his day looking for a treat to eat. The text is written with an easy-to-read, poetic rhythm that captures a reader’s attention while teaching an important lesson."

About the Author

John-Ruben M. Aranton Jr is a Filipino-American born and raised in Wilmington, DE. John-Ruben has been living with seasonal allergies, food allergies and eczema since childhood, which was during a period when allergies were not as prevalent as it is today. Growing up with allergies, specifically food allergies, was an embarrassing time for him. No one really understood the extent of his allergy symptoms when it came to eating certain food, such as seafood, which is in most major Filipino dishes. It was a topic he was ashamed to discuss because he felt like people would not understand and therefore treat him differently. He soon realized that by not telling anyone, he put himself in a dangerous situation. John-Ruben ended up having a couple incidents where he should have ended up in the hospital because he ate something with seafood. If family members and friends knew of his allergies, those incidents could have been prevented. John-Ruben hopes his book, What Treat Can Ruben Eat?, will help raise awareness of food allergies and help children understand that having allergies is normal. He hopes children will learn not to be ashamed of their allergies and that it is even more important that others around them understand the extent of their allergies. Just as Ruben learned, true friends will always be there to support him and care for him! Because of John-Ruben’s dedication to raising awareness of food allergies, he will be donating a portion of the proceeds from the book to the Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) Organization.