Remember how I mentioned that there were several new children's books out this year on the topic of Day of the Dead? Well, here's my review of Día de los Muertos by Roseanne Greenfield Thong. And if you'd like to see other children's books on this topic, check out my list of favorite Dia de los Muertos books for children.
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Día de los Muertos by Roseanne Greenfield Thong
Día de los Muertos is a visual feast of a book. Illustrated by Carles Ballesteros, it takes the readers through the day as it is celebrated by one family. You'll read about how they decorate their home altar and visit a cemetery where they decorate the graves of their loved ones.
Roseanne Greenfield Thong does a particularly good job of making the book rhyme and weaves Spanish words throughout. (You may remember her as she is also the author of Round is a Tortilla and Green is a Chile Pepper.) There's a glossary at the end of the book to help non-Spanish speakers understand the words she uses. And she also includes a section explaining the tradition surrounding the holiday and where it finds its roots.
Carles Ballesteros was born in Spain and now lives in Chile. You should totally look up his website where you'll see sneak peeks of the illustrations he's done for other children's books - many of them in Spanish! (I totally love learning about new authors and illustrators!)
Ballesteros' illustrations in this book are fun and colorful. He fills the pages with lots of details that you and your child will enjoy discovering.
When to Use this Book
This book is a great resource for lesson plans and unit studies covering Day of the Dead/Día de los Muertos, world cultures, Halloween, Mexico, family traditions, and more.
I recommend adding it to your home library simply because it is such a fun book and because young children who cannot read yet, can still enjoy "reading" on their own. They can curl up in their favorite reading spot and just go through the book looking at the beautiful illustrations.
I recommend adding it to your home library simply because it is such a fun book and because young children who cannot read yet, can still enjoy "reading" on their own. They can curl up in their favorite reading spot and just go through the book looking at the beautiful illustrations.
Where to Purchase
You can find this lovely book on Amazon.
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