Super colorful and quietly informative, giving my kids another angle on a holiday they are both curious about. My only hold up to giving 5 stars is that I would have loved some educational end pages, even one that would have helped me with pronouncing the Spanish correctly. ( )

I would use this book to talk about family and traditions. This would be a good read aloud book for any grade level due to the few spanish words mixed throughout the story. I like this book to use as a comparison to find similarities and differences in the student's family traditions and holidays. It would be good to use around thanksgiving and even talk about the history of our holiday and why we do things like make the certain types of food, just like the family in the book. It would give the students a good connection to something they are used to in their own lives and show them that people from other countries celebrate and have traditions just like they do with their families. It would give the class a good opportunity to research other cultures and learn more about their holidays and traditions, since most of them are probably unfamiliar to them.

Day of the Dead, which is a book about the Spanish holiday El Dia de los Muertos. The book talks all about why it’s celebrated, what happens when it’s celebrated, how it’s celebrate, and of course when it’s celebrated. Throughout the book it has a very uplifting tone to it, one that shows that it’s not a scary holiday, rather a holiday that celebrates death. This can be seen as strange to other cultures but this book is trying to emphasize and explain why it’s a great holiday by informing the reader of its ancient tradition; to celebrate death, remember those who have passed on, and to appreciate life.

This book gives you lots of information and it is a story that anyone will enjoy ( )

Day of the Dead, written by Tony Johnston and illustrated by Jeanette Winter, would be a great book for a child just learning to speak Spanish. It is very colorful and contains sweet illustrations that would draw in young children. Though there are fictional elements such as the woman casting stars from her sack to show nighttime, the book would be a simple, unbiased way to introduce Day of the Dead. The picture book is sprinkled with Spanish phrases that are easy pronounce and often offer context clues as to their meaning.

The family is preparing for Day of the Dead by grinding chiles, picking fruit, making empanadas and cutting sugarcane. The book follows the family’s procession to the graves of their grandparents. When the family reaches the graves, they set out all the food, sing, dance and remember the grandparents. Then, they celebrate the day by eating. Later they leave marigolds on the grave.
The author’s note briefly explains the Day of the Dead: when it is celebrated, its purpose and the common ways to mark the days.
On the jacket cover is information about both the author and the illustrator. The author has written “numerous” books for children and has attended many Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico and at her home in California. The illustrator “loves the tejano border music of Lydia Mendoza.” I am curious why they chose to use these small details as qualifications for knowing about Day of the Dead. ( )