Day of the Dead Books

This children's book describes the most important day of the year in a small Guatemalan village, Santiago Sacatepequez. This small village is known worldwide for making beautiful barrieletes, (the Guatamalan word for kites) for Day of the Dead. People come to celebrate this holiday from all around the world to see the kites flown on Día de los Muertos. This book uses photographs and text to outline how these kites are made, and how they are so important to both Día de los Muertos and the community of Mayan-descendants that make them. A sad note at the end of the book notes that the photographs that comprise the book were taken in the 1970s, before a tragic civil war that resulted in many Mayan deaths, but that the tradition of making paper kites out of papel de china (colored tissue paper) still lives on in contemporary times.

This children's book tells the Día de los Muertos story through the eyes of bilingual Sacramento, California-based twins, aged ten, named Ximena and Azucena. The book tells the family history to illustrate the strong ties between the American family and its native Mexico. In 1974, the twin's father was an integral part of bringing Día de los Muertos to Sacramento. This book gives a very detailed history of Día de los Muertos that I didn't come across in any other children's books. It explains much of Aztec culture, including their Creation Myth, and how Día de los Muertos began. Then, Spanish conquistadors came into contact with these people, and their Catholic influence altered their traditions, and Halloween was beginning to brew in Europe simultaneously. Finally, it discusses how Mexican-Americans have another unique take on celebrating the holiday. Then, the book outlines the celebration, many pages on the ofrendas (with more elaborate detail than other books in this bibliography) a section on the masks of Día de los Muertos (another facet of the fiesta that isn't covered in other books), and the procession a family takes from its home to the cemetery. It also contains a glossary of the Spanish words used throughout the book with its definition.

First they screwed the art, then they screwed the story, now they screwed the art further and the story is recycled. All the one-liners, angst, everything is redone all over again. The writer and artist are getting lazy.

Although this book is recommended for young children and has an elementary feel to the illustrations, it places too much emphasis on death for elementary school children. I was particularly uncomfortable with the almost preachy way it tells us that we should be grateful to be alive. The book contains facts that may be better suited for older children, but it is written in simple language meant for young children.