Day of the Dead: A Latino Celebration of Life
Joy Fleishhacker, Curriculum Connections -- School Library Journal, 10/11/2007
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From October 31st to November 2nd, people in Mexico and Latin America and in Hispanic-American communities across the United States observe Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. A blend of ancient Indian beliefs and Catholic customs, this harvest-season celebration is dedicated to remembering and revering deceased antepasados (ancestors). Families make joyful preparations to welcome their departed loved ones, whose souls are believed to return for a day.
In cemeteries and in homes, ofrendas (altars) are created and adorned with marigolds, traditional foods, gifts, and photos of the deceased. On All Souls’ Day, families visit their relatives’ gravesites, keeping the departed company by picnicking, telling family stories, listening to music, and lighting candles at dusk. Both an observance of death and an affirmation of life, this celebration is a time for strengthening family ties, sharing family history, and passing down traditions from generation to generation.
The Day of the Dead makes an interesting counterpoint to Halloween observances in the United States, which often focus on the macabre. Children will be fascinated by the idea of inviting departed family members for a visit and intrigued by the symbols associated with the Day of the Dead, including brightly decorated sugar skulls, pan de muertos (sweet bread that can be shaped to look like bodies wrapped in blankets), and playful skeletons. A unit on the holiday can also be tied into discussions about other harvest festivals, Mexican culture and history, the ways that various societies remember their ancestors, and family history projects.
Nonfiction Overviews
Carol Gnojewski’s Day of the Dead (Enslow, 2005) provides an informative overview, connecting current-day traditions to ancient Aztec beliefs, tracing the influence of 16th-century Spanish conquerors and Catholic missionaries, and discussing how the holiday is observed today. Filled with colorful photographs, this book includes enough detail to satisfy older elementary report writers.
Though not as in-depth, Linda Lowery’s Day of the Dead (Carolrhoda, 2003) covers the basics, thoughtfully introducing a younger audience to the concept of celebrating death, by discussing nature’s cycles. The flowing narrative, illustrated with Barbara Knutson’s autumn-hued artwork, can be read by beginning readers or shared aloud.
Photo-Essays
With a lively narrative and colorful, candid photos, George Ancona’s Pablo Remembers (Lothrop, 1993) introduces this traditional holiday from a young celebrant’s perspective. This true-life account details how a Mexican boy and his family prepare for and celebrate the fiesta and highlights Pablo’s emotional connection to his late Abuelita. Kathryn Lasky and Christopher G. Knight’s inviting book documents the activities of 12-year-old Gamaliel and his family in rural Mexico as they observe the Days of the Dead (Hyperion, 1994).
Through a straightforward text and crisp photos, Elisa Amado and Joya Hairs take readers to a small Guatemalan village where a boy constructs a gigantic, brilliantly colored Barrilete (Groundwood, 1999), a kite that he launches on November 2nd to honor his much-missed Abuelo. Appropriate for confident readers, these intriguing glimpses at children and their communities can also be shared aloud with younger listeners.
Picture Books
Convey the essence and exuberance of this festival with engaging picture books. Two Mexican children watch excitedly as family members prepare tantalizing treats, bring home bakery bundles, and decorate with marigolds, before heading to the cemetery on the Day of the Dead (1997). Tony Johnston’s text brims with anticipation and Jeanette Winter’s dazzling folk-style illustrations create a celebratory mood.
Winter’s artwork is equally eye-catching in Calavera Abecedario (2004, both Harcourt), an alphabet book of Spanish words featuring papier-mâché calaveras (skeletal figures) lovingly made by a gifted craftsman and his family. From ángel (a winged, halo-wearing skeleton floating on a cloud) to zapatero (a gaily garbed skeletal shoemaker), the images capture the whimsy of the work of Don Pedro Linares, the 20th-century artist who inspired the story. 
Colorfully clothed, charismatic skeletons also star in Richard Keep’s ebullient Clatter Bash! (Peachtree, 2004), as Day-of-the-Dead honorees emerge from their tombs to feast, chit-chat, and jubilate before resuming their resting places. The bouncy, rhyming text is as buoyant and blissfully cheerful as the artwork.
Stories of Remembrance
Three stories about children grieving for deceased grandparents illustrate how this holiday provides comfort and a connection to the past. Longing for her grandmother, Rosita makes A Gift for Abuelita/Un regalo para Abuelita (Rising Moon, 1998) to place upon the family’s ofrenda, carefully plaiting a yarn braid that symbolizes “a love too strong to be broken.” Nancy Luenn’s reassuring text is paired with Robert Chapman’s stylized, earth-toned illustrations.
In Janice Levy’s I Remember Abuelito/Yo recuerdo a Abuelito (Albert Whitman, 2007), a girl worries that her grandfather’s spirit will get lost on the Day of the Dead, but her mother promises that he will find his way back, just like the monarch butterflies that return every year. The first-person narrative’s warmth is echoed in Loretta Lopez’s marigold-hued paintings.
Set in a village high in the Andes, Birte Müller’s Felipa and the Day of the Dead (North-South, 2004) features a child who goes in search of her grandmother’s soul, before realizing that Abuelita’s spirit will visit the family during the November celebration. Impressionistic, bright-hued illustrations depict Felipa and her changing emotions.
How-To Titles
Since traditional foods and handcrafted objects play a special role in the Day of the Dead celebrations, enhance discussions of the holiday with cooking and crafting activities that can also be tied into Halloween events. Susan Milord’s lively Mexico: 40 Activities to Experience Mexico Past & Present (Williamson, 1999) is packed with information as well as projects, including making candy skulls and tissue-paper marigolds.
Randel McGee’s Paper Crafts for the Day of the Dead (Enslow), available in January 2008, features easy-to-replicate art projects, such as calacas (skeleton figures), skull masks, and papel picado (cut paper) banners.
Consult the following Web sites for other ideas: “Day of the Dead: Mexican Crafts and Activities” (www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/dayofthedead); “Papel Picado: The Art of Mexican Cut Paper” (www.art.unt.edu/ntieva/news/vol_7/issue3/96falp11.htm); and “Day of the Dead” (http://elbalero.gob.mx/kids/about/html/holidays/home.html).
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See also our Remarkable Reads column on Mexican Folktales.
