Review by Booklist Review
It's Dia de los Muertos, and all the children in town are preparing for the celebration! Altares are decorated, sweets are made, and papel picado is strungup to swing in the breeze before everyone dresses in costumes for the bigparade. Told in simple verse, thisbook celebrates the joy of the holiday and the beliefs behind it while simultaneously familiarizing readers with each element of the celebration. Spanish words are so seamlesslywoven throughout the text that readers unfamiliar with the terms will easily grasptheir meanings through context and accompanying illustrations. The rhymes flow naturally with apleasant cadence and celebratory tone. Ballesteros' charming illustrationsfill the pages with delightful and amusing details, and the bold shapes andbright colors heighten the festive atmosphere. Included are a glossary and endnotes explaining the originsof the holiday, along with an explanation of the traditional foods andactivities. A great choice forreaders who celebrate the holiday and those wanting to learn more about it.--Hayes, Summer Copyright 2015 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Village children and their families celebrate the Latin American holiday el Día de los Muertos by leaving gifts for departed loved ones in a cemetery, dressing up as ghosts and skeletons, and joining in a festive parade. Ballesteros's digital art features blocky, geometrical forms, and he gives his smiling characters dot eyes and blunt, toylike features. Thong smoothly incorporates Spanish words into her playful verse: "We share in the foods that our guests loved to eat-/ fresh fruit and tamales, a holiday treat." Readers may recognize similarities between Halloween and Day of the Dead traditions, though Ballesteros and Thong capture this holiday's distinctive cultural flavor; one parade attendee, Luz, "looks like someone we've all seen before," and the prominent eyebrow of her skeleton mask makes it clear she's dressed as Frida Kahlo. Ages 4-7. Author's agent: Natalie Lakosil, Bradford Literary Agency. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-A festive and colorful celebration of the Mexican and Latin American holiday. Thong's rhyming narrative introduces the traditions practiced during El Día de los Muertos or the Day of the Dead, from the sugary, skull-shaped candies (calaveras) and altars built in remembrance of the dearly departed to decorating tombstones and picnics at the cemetery. Spanish words are sprinkled throughout, sometimes defined through their context or otherwise included in the helpful glossary. From daybreak to nightfall, the holiday, often celebrated on November 1, is showcased as a town-wide event and is depicted as a family festivity. Ballesteros's vibrant and child-friendly art bursts off the page, sometimes overcrowding the tableau in a way that marries well with the partylike atmosphere. Mexican cultural references are made throughout, including cameos by Frida Kahlo, La Llorona, and the recently deceased Mexican actress and comedian Maria Elena Velasco, best known for her character La India Maria. The skeleton images made popular by Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada are also prevalent in each spread, but these almost jolly figures won't frighten young readers. Pair with Paul Bracegirdle's The Dead Family Diaz (Dial, 2012) for a themed storytime, or include in Halloween displays. VERDICT A jovial primer on the Latin American holiday for the uninitiated and a fiesta for those who already partake.-Shelley Diaz, School Library Journal © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
A family celebrates the Day of the Dead by eating sugar skulls and visiting the cemetery, where they listen to a band and let their ancestors know that they remember them. Ballesteros's colorful art recalls the traditional cut-paper papel picado associated with the holiday, while the rhyming text, which incorporates Spanish words, gives broad generalizations of the traditions. Glos. (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
As the title suggests, Thong and Ballesteros celebrate a Latino holiday that, though it is becoming increasingly more popular in all parts of the United States, is still somewhat misunderstood by non-Latino Americans. Thong (Green is a Chile Pepper, 2014, etc.) once again proves her mastery at creating a multicultural picture-book text that engages all readers. With an upbeat, celebratory tone, the collaborators introduce many of the traditions and images associated with Da de los Muertos, known in English as the Day of the Dead. "At home we've adorned our altares with care. / They're heaped with recuerdos and good things to share." The rhyme is rhythmic and effortless, making it a delightful read-aloud. The interspersed Spanish words are defined contextually rather than repeated in translation; this makes the text easy to understand regardless of readers' language skills and keeps it from feeling redundant for bilingual readers. Ballesteros' animated illustrations provide images of the Spanish vocabulary in many of the depicted scenes. Readers will feel the festive remembrance of loved ones who have passed. A glossary at the end provides explicit English definitions of the Spanish words, but it unfortunately lacks any pronunciation guide. This enchanting presentation of the Da de los Muertos holiday will resonate with both those who are new to its traditions and those who have been celebrating for generations. (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
