A company of skeletons cavort and play in this entertaining picture-book romp from Mexico, enjoying the Day of the Dead that the living have put on for them. The bilingual text is a rhyming, rhythmic celebration of their joyful dance, and is accompanied by author/artist Luis San Vicente's colorful, energetic illustrations, that ably capture the humor and fun of the day. An extensive afterword gives instructions on creating one's own altar for a deceased loved one, as well as recipes for Pan de Muerto (bread of the dead) and sugar skulls...

Originally published in Mexico as El Festival de las calaveras, and then translated into English by John William and Bobby Byrd for this bilingual American edition, this picture-book offers an entertaining and cheerful celebration of the joy that Day of the Dead represents for those who celebrate it. I found the text engaging, and the artwork quite appealing. That said, I was a little uncomfortable with the afterword, and with the instructions for creating an altar. Keeping an altar of any kind is, after all, a religious custom, even if it is also a cultural one, and some families might not believe in such practices. I think the intent here was probably benign - an attempt to share a meaningful cultural practice - but some parents might interpret the inclusion of this section, which encourages children to engage in a (partly) religious practice, as a form of proselytizing. I'd still recommend this one to picture-book readers looking for fun Day of the Dead titles, but with the caveat that adult readers should preview the afterword, and see if it fits with their own family's practices and beliefs. ( )

A bilingual book that could be used to teach English to Spanish speakers, teach poetry, and to teach a significant Mexican holiday.

Festival of bones is about Dia De Los Muertos a holiday celebrated in Mexico and many communities in the states. Interesting enough people have the misconception it is a religious holiday. The event is based on the belief that we should remember all those important people in our lives, and so on one day people flock to the cemetery to share moment dedicated to the deceased. And so the book is about a family of skulls dancing and celebrating the holiday heading to the cemetary.
Great book for beginners and illustrations are great. A book to use when discussing autobiographies, culture, spirituality, family and respect. ( )

The Festival of Bones
Luis San Vicente
Cinco Puntos Press
978-1-941026-03-8
$7.95, 32 pgs

The Festival of Bones, written and illustrated by Luis San Vicente, is The Little-Bitty Book for the Day of the Dead, a bilingual early reader, translated from the Spanish by John William Byrd and Bobby Byrd of Cinco Puntos Press. Luis San Vicente is a Mexico City artist whose work has been exhibited in Mexico, Venezuela, Europe and the United States. He is a winner of UNESCO's NOMA Encouragement Concours Prize for Illustration.

Originally published in Mexico in 1999, Festival is a poem, song, cookbook, history and craft how-to all rolled into one enchanting package. An ancient Aztec tradition that has been incorporated over hundreds of years into the Catholic tradition, El Día de los Muertos is a holiday celebrated in Mexico from October 31st through November 2nd. It is a joyful time when family and friends gather together to remember the dead.
They're coming and they're going

And you see them passing by.
They're dancing over here,
They're chatting over there...
It's their day
And they're going to have a good time.

The illustrations in Festival, in Mexican folk-art style, depict a happy celebration of the lives of the dead as they make their way to the graveyard, singing and dancing, rollerskating and riding bicycles.

Included in the text is a simple history of the holiday and ideas for your own celebration, including suggestions for building an altar and recipes for pan de muerto (a sweet bread) and sugar skull candies. Festival is a charming book that would be a great addition to every little Texan's library. ( )

This charming little book features the poetry and illustrations of Luis San Vicente. The works of this Mexico City native have been featured in numerous exhibitions all over the world, and his illustrations have won numerous awards. For this book of hybrid nonfiction, Vicente wrote a fanciful poem describing the antics of the many skeletons (used as decoration) on El Dia de Los Muertos. These happy skeletons ride bikes, go roller skating, and sing and dance during this day of celebration. His images and poetry convey the celebratory essence of this festival that commemorates the lives of loved ones that have passed. In the poetry section, San Vicente does a great job describing how this holiday celebrates life in a festive way, and in doing so, he separates this holiday from the holiday it is often confused with: Halloween. In the next section, San Vicente wonderfully summarizes the history of the holiday and tells readers how they can incorporate aspects of the holiday into their lives. Readers can visit the graves of loved ones and cook the traditional treats (recipes included) of sugar skulls and pan de muerto to celebrate. But San Vicente reiterates multiple times that this holiday is a party and even includes an ancient Nahuatl poem at then end that speaks of life everlasting.

San Vicente's artwork is where this book shines. The pictures are dazzling and show definitive aspects of the festival. Family members and friends dress up their skeletons in the way in which their passed loved ones used to dress. The skeletons San Vicente drew are not the scary ones used to frighten during Halloween. His skeletons are dressed up like everyday people doing the things they liked to do when they were alive. His poem is also written in both Spanish and English and would be useful in a language class.

In relating this book to Denise Davila's article "In Search of the Ideal Reader for Nonfiction Children's Books About El Dia De Los Muertos," it would appear that this book would qualify as acceptable according to her criteria. True, it is not purely nonfiction since the first section features an anthropomorphic poem about dancing skeletons, but San Vicente's information section is perfectly accurate and appropriate for his target audience. Not once does he mention Halloween or speak in a condescending or offensive tone. He gives the history of the holiday and explains how it is celebrated. The last sections on how to build traditional alters for loved ones and how to bake traditional treats does lead me to believe that he is writing to an outsider who is unfamiliar with these customs. Again, he does not pass judgement. He simply states what to do, which gives this last section of the book a more "how to" characterization. The only time I saw a phrase analyzed by Davila was in the synopsis on the book's dust jacket. It states that "Mexico's Day of the Dead fascinates kids - whether for its joyful celebration or its unusual traditions." The use of the word "unusual" is something Davila harped on to show how these books cater to outsiders and use judgmental language, however, I don't believe San Vicente had anything to do with what was put on the dust jacket. I believe those choices are made by the publishers thereby clearing San Vicente from Davila's wrath. But this book does feature the aspect that Davila claims is the key to capturing the essence of any culture. San Vicente is from Mexico City and presumably celebrated this holiday from birth. His firsthand experience with the holiday is essential according to Davila because only natives can really understand what makes this holiday so special and convey that to readers. I don't know if I agree with that, but I'm not critiquing her article here.

San Vicente's rich work on El Dia De Los Muertos would be great for young audiences and budding language students. I do not think I could use this book in my secondary classes because the language and reading level is so young. But I do think he does a great job of accurately describing the holiday's history and its cultural significance. ( )