Product Description

Mexico’s Day of the Dead fascinates U.S readers, whether for its joyful celebration of an unusual tradition or because it simply feels like home. San Vicente lets children join the celebration as they watch the skeletons rock, rattle, and roll those long old bones as they get ready for the biggest event of their social calendar. A short and fun essay, directed toward young readers, will explain this important Mexican holiday.

The works of Mexico City artist Luis San Vicente have been exhibited in Mexico, Venezuela, Europe, and the United States. He has won UNESCO’s prestigious NOMA Encouragement Concours Prize for Illustration, and UNESCO honored his work (1997, 1998, and 1999) in their prestigious Youth and Children’s Catalog of Illustrations.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #381313 in Books
• Published on: 2002-09-01
• Original language: Spanish
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780938317678
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
Originally published in Mexico, this bilingual primer on the Day of the Dead may be best suited to those already familiar with the festival. For the uninitiated, an afterword explains that Mexicans celebrate el d¡a de los muertes from October 31 to November 2. Feasts, music and visits to gravesites help the living honor the dead, who are believed by many to return for the festivities. Vicente, a respected Mexico City artist, creates charming skeletal characters; their playfulness accentuates the holiday's merriment. Rendered in a style reminiscent of scratchboard illustrations, his bony subjects dance in top hats and ride bicycles amid a fetchingly surreal world. For "Pascual's skeleton sings a song/ Without any pain or dread/ Although half a leg is really gone/ Still a flower sits upon his head," he pictures the skeletal fellow balanced on one leg atop a crescent moon and a wide-eyed owl as his audience. But for norte¤os, the macabre content may not translate well. The text abruptly begins with a deceased guitarist crooning, "The skeletons are going along the road to the graveyard.... These are the dead. How happy they are." They may be further confused by a shifting narrative voice and non sequitur conclusion. But for those immersed in Mexican culture, this neatly designed square volume offers a fresh look at a familiar subject. Ideas on how to honor the dead and recipes for the holiday feast are included. Ages 4-10.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Language Notes
Text: English, Spanish

About the Author
Poet, essayist and publisher, Bobby Byrd, with his wife Lee, recently received the Lannan Fellowship for Cultural Freedom.

Customer Reviews

Fantastic bilinqual book!
Having been born and raised in the Midwest, I've always had a fascination with Mexico's Day of the Dead. The idea that you could joyously celebrate the lives of family and friends who have passed on struck me as being unique and beautiful.

The Little-Bitty Book for the Day of the Dead starts with an imaginative and whimsical poem, in both English and Spanish, illustrated with the most charming group of skeletons that you are likely to encounter in a children's book.

Rounding out the book is information about The Day of the Dead, including suggestions on how to celebrate this popular Mexican holiday, with recipes for Pan de Meurto and sugar skulls.

This book is a must have for any multi-cultural children's library.

Excellent resource!
This "little-bitty" book is small in size but definitely not small in information. This book was packed full of all kinds of facts and ideas for Día de los Muertos. The book begins with a little story that is brilliantly illustrated in pen-and-ink with spot color. The illustrations are skeletons wearing clothes in the style of Juan Guadalupe Posada, the "patron saint" of Día de los Muertos illustrations. This story is a rhyming tale of the skeletons during the fiesta told in both English and Spanish. This is great because it can be read by patrons that read either language, and can improve bilingualism in those that are learning English or Spanish. These illustrations are more in the style of the holiday than any other print source I could find. After the story, the book becomes very informative. It gives the history of the holiday, and gives ideas to children on how to celebrate at the cemetery. It lists many ideas for making an ofrenda (altar and its offerings) for a departed loved one, and then gives recipes for making Pan de Muerto and a Sugar Skull.

A little story of Day of the Dead
This tiny edition tells of a grand celebration in our Latin-American countries: Day of the Dead. The spirit and energy of the event is captured by lively and colorful illustrations.