Synopses & Reviews
Mexico’s Day of the Dead fascinates U.S readers, whether for its joyful celebration of an unusual tradition or because it simply feels like home. San Vicente lets children join the celebration as they watch the skeletons rock, rattle, and roll those long old bones as they get ready for the biggest event of their social calendar. A short and fun essay, directed toward young readers, will explain this important Mexican holiday.
The works of Mexico City artist Luis San Vicente have been exhibited in Mexico, Venezuela, Europe, and the United States. He has won UNESCO’s prestigious NOMA Encouragement Concours Prize for Illustration, and UNESCO honored his work (1997, 1998, and 1999) in their prestigious Youth and Children’s Catalog of Illustrations.
Review
"Overall, the illustrations are comical, and not at all frightening, which will enable children of all ages to enjoy the book. A wonderful addition to bilingual collections in elementary and public libraries." —Críticas
"For those immersed in Mexican culture, this neatly designed square volume offers a fresh look at a familiar subject." —Publisher's Weekly
"His remarkable little poem, given in both the original Spanish and a rather free English translation, conjures up merry skeletons enjoying their special day but doesn't shrink from the facts." —Washington Post Book World
"The text moves with a lively dance meter. San Vicente's artwork, done in black outlines with touches of warm color, is just sinister enough to produce a little frisson, but not so frightening as to be off putting to young readers and listeners."—School Library Journal
"Gleeful rhythmic and occasionally rhyming verse in English and Spanish detail the peregrinations of the skeletons…this evokes the spirit of the Festival in the way that kids will appreciate. " —Center for Children's Books Bulletin
"This is a dual-language book that will be enjoyed by Spanish and English readers alike. Teachers will find it useful for teaching poetry as well as teaching about an important Mexican holiday. Highly recommended!" —Reforma Newsletter
"The Festival of Bones is at once lively and funny and offers a playfully imaginative treatment of the Day of the Dead." —Latinola.com
Synopsis
On Mexico's Day of the Dead, the skeletons rattle and roll in their biggest party ever.
About the Author
Poet, essayist and publisher, Bobby Byrd, with his wife Lee, recently received the Lannan Fellowship for Cultural Freedom. Benjamin Alire Sáenz is a novelist, poet, essayist and writer of children's books. He has received the Wallace Stegner Fellowship, the Lannan Fellowship and an American Book Award. He teaches at the University of Texas at El Paso, and considers himself a fronterizo, a person of the border.