I liked this book for two reasons. First, I liked the language. I found the language of this book to be very descriptive and clear. For example, page 4 states “The flowers and leaves and corn of summer are all gone. They have died and gone back to the earth”. The wording of this is descriptive while still being easy to read for the readers. The text should be a good read for readers who are in the process of achieving fluency or close to. The second reason I liked this book was because of its illustrations. I really believe that the illustrations enhanced the story tremendously by adding some personality and action into the text. Since the text is so straight forward, having these colorful pictures really allows the story to come alive. For example, when the text talks about “The flowers and leaves and corn of summer are all gone. They have died and gone back to the earth”, the illustrations show a family holding their festivities as the leaves slowly trickle to the ground around them. This story did not have a big idea as it was mostly fact based. However, the holdiay it was discussing was the Day of the Dead which is a holiday that celebrates ancestors. If there was to be an underlying message it would proably be about the importance of honoring those who came before you. ( )

This is a wonderful and colorful book explaining the celebration of Day of the Dead. The book explains what events happen during all three days of the celebration and what time specific events happen. The book explains Hispanic traditions on these days and why these traditions are done. The book is great for integrating another culture into the classroom. The back of the book also includes a vocabulary list with Spanish words and their English meanings. ( )

This is a great easy chapter book that shares the history of El Dia de Los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. The book provides in depth history and descriptions of how the holiday celebrated today. I really love how this book incorporates history, seasons changing, family traditions, and cultural information in one easy-to-read book. I think the book does a good job of placing the holiday in a context that students who were previously unfamiliar with it can understand.

INFORMATIONAL: This chapter book gives true, detailed information about a current holiday. The purpose of this book is to educate the reader about the Day of the Dead, and it does so by including illustrations, descriptions, and facts about the event.
USE: I could use this book to talk about holidays OTHER than the ones we might have already heard of (Christmas, Easter, etc.). This book would be a great introduction to Latin American culture. I could also use this book to talk about traditions, both familial and cultural.
MEDIA: Acrylics and mixed media

I enjoyed this book very much. This book was about "El Dia de los Muertos." The author gave a good overview of what "The Day of The Dead" really is and who celebrates it. I liked how the author incorporated the Spanish language into the story as well. Not only that, but there was also very important references to the Mexican culture. She stated customs and traditions that go along with that day as well. For example, "October 31: In a small town in Mexico, mothers and grandmothers are busy preparing a Day of The Dead feast...chiles, tamales, and pan de muertos." The author goes onto describe the important features of that day. For example, "at the market and in the shops, people are selling candy and toys...there are toy skeletons made of wood or paper...these skeletons are called calacas." The reader is learning about the traditions and practices of the Mexican culture and why this day is so significant. The author covers religion, Spanish explorers of 1521, and also the Aztecs. I really liked reading this book because it was very informative and I think it did a very great job in summing up what The Day of The Dead really is. ( )

This is a very well done book. It is a informational text that reads more like a story. It covered a variety of subjects within the topic of Day of the Dead celebrations. The main message of this books is to inform people about Day of the Dead. This authors writing is very well done. there are defined sections but they all seem as thought they flow into one another, almost seamlessly. The book as written in a way that the reader felt as though they were a tourist and they were being told about the Day of the Dead. Everything was layout in a way that was very easy to follow along and easy to understand. Nothing in the book felt out of place, it all felt like information that I would need to know if I were to participate in this holiday. The way that the illustrations were made it made me feel very welcome into the little village that I was walking though on my Day of the Dead tour. There is a lot from this book that if I were to be teaching a lesson I could draw from. I could make multiple different station activities around celebration of Day of the Dead. ( )