Every year Don Pedro and his family make paper-mache skeletons, or Calaveras, for Mexico's Day of the Dead fiesta. From the A-ngel and D-octor to the M-ariachi and U-nicornio, there's a special Calavera for each letter of the alphabet. I like this book because it teacher students about the alphabet and parts of the day of the dead celebration at the same time. This is a fun way to teach students several things at one time without making it more complicated. I think the big idea for this book is just that to teach students about both. ( )

Opening in the home of Don Pedro, a Mexican artist who makes the papier-mâché skeletons, or calaveras, used in Day of the Dead celebrations, this engaging picture-book offers a brief exploration of how these figures are created, and then uses them to present twenty-six alphabetical scenes. Although the words profiled are in Spanish, the accompanying (skeletal) illustrations making the meaning plain, but if the reader is still confused, there is a glossary at the rear...

Having read many of author/artist Jeanette Winter's picture-books, I fully expected to enjoy the illustrations in Calavera Abecedario: A Day of the Dead Alphabet Book, and I was not disappointed. Vibrantly colorful, with bold hues and spooky skeletons, it is a visual treat. I appreciated that Winter profiled Don Pedro Linares in her framing story, as he was a real-life artist whose calaveras were famous throughout Mexico. The alphabet-book aspect of this title is also well done, with the artwork (as mentioned above) making meaning plain, even for readers who have no Spanish. Recommended to anyone looking for spooky alphabet books, as well as to those searching for picture-books for Day of the Dead. ( )

The book does a wonderful job at exposing readers to the Spanish holiday; the Day of the Dead. The author writes about a boy named Don Pedro and how he gets ready for the holiday in Mexico City. The Spanish language is used throughout the book to describe the different costumes people can dress up in for the holiday. Not only does the book teach children different words in Spanish it also reinforces the knowledge of the alphabet. The author adds a glossary at the end of the book that lists the vocabulary the book uses with both the Spanish word and its English translation. This is a helpful text strategy that readers can use while reading the book. This book would be a great use in any classroom, especially in classrooms that have a lot of Spanish speakers or in a class of students who are learning the Spanish language. I also like how the illustrator uses a lot of color and detail in his artwork because it draws the readers attention to the graphics in the book. Overall, this book does a phenomenal job at integrating both the Spanish and English language in this book. ( )

Calavera Abecedario is a book written in English with a few Spanish words. It is a helpful book for learning the alphabet. Every letter is shown with a picture as well as a word. All of the words are related to the holiday "Day of the Dead". This book puts a fun spin on learning the alphabet and can be very helpful to younger children. the big idea of this book is to teach children their A,B,C's. ( )

Overall I think this is a very good book. This is an informational book that is semi-bilingual meaning that not all of the English text is translated into Spanish. It is about the celebration of the Day of the Dead in Mexico City. The book tells the story of a family that makes skeletons for the celebrations. Each skeleton in the book is featured on its own page and is representing a particular occupation which is labeled at the bottom in Spanish. Since the meaning the comprehension of the words rely heavily on the pictures I thought that some of the illustrations could have been more specific and detailed. For example, there was a skeleton throwing seeds on the ground which at first made me think it was a gardener but a couple pages late there was a skeleton watering flowers which created a little confusion. I did like that this book has a glossary though because I was able to go to the back and look up the English version of a word.
I also liked this book because there is a narrative with a beginning, middle, and end which makes an informational book more captivating to the reader. I was able to connect with the characters and understand the importance of family and tradition in their culture. This is one example of where the author portrayed this idea, “The fiesta is coming soon. Fathers and sons and grandsons work into the night. The calaveras must be ready to dance on el Dia de los Muertos.” ( )