Day of the Dead (On My Own Holidays) [Paperback]

Linda Lowery (Author), Barbara Knutson (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2003 | Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up | Series: On My Own Holidays

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. The Day of the Dead is a special holiday celebrated in many places like Mexico and parts of the United States to honor people who have died.

--This text refers to the School & Library Binding edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-Combining woodblock-style illustrations and a text addressed to "you," this easy-to-read title introduces various aspects of the D'a de los Muertos celebrations common to Mexican and many Mexican-American communities. Noting roots in both Aztec and Catholic traditions, Lowery shows how the cycle of the growing season is tied to the cycle of human birth, life, and death and explains how the memorialization of the dead during this period of festivity is a time for joy rather than sorrow. Non-Latino youngsters will enjoy the links between Halloween and the Day of the Dead traditions and will shiver with pleasure at the decorations and treats-prominently featuring bones and skeletons-that may seem slightly ghoulish to those unfamiliar with the holiday. Knutson's lively illustrations reflect Mexican art, harvest celebrations, and the warm colors of autumn. Both Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith's Day of the Dead (Holiday, 1994) and Katherine Lasky's Days of the Dead (Hyperion, 1994; o.p.) focus on the celebrations of specific families (in California and Mexico, respectively), feature photographs rather than illustrations, and are designed for older children.
Coop Renner, Fairmeadows Elementary, Duncanville, TX
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Lerner Pub Group (T) (September 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1575055813
• ISBN-13: 978-1575055817
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,044,339 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #70 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Social Science > Folklore & Mythology
  • #87 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Holidays & Festivals > Religious

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative Book with Nice Illustrations, October 8, 2009

By 

SA Gal (San Antonio, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Day of the Dead (On My Own Holidays) (Paperback)

I read this book to my own kids (elementary age) & we all enjoyed it. I thought it did a good job of explaining the Day of the Dead from an Indian perspective. Being Mexican American myself (mixed of Indian & European descent like most Mexicans) I think it's important to explain the origins of this holiday & I thought this book did a good job. It is a celebration of those who are gone & we still love & remember as well as life; death & life as a cycle. To the Mexican Indians this celebration mimics the same cycle of the seasons as well. Life ending (crops harvested, leaves fallen) Autumn/Winter & then life renewal (leaves & flowers reappearing) Spring/Summer. The colors are symbolic of this to the Mexican Indians as exhibited in the book (Orange Marigolds representing death & orange is the color of fall - pumpkins, leaves etc... & green leaves representing life & green renewal of spring - leaves of trees, grass, etc...)

5.0 out of 5 stars A Tribute to Cultural Traditions, May 23, 2010

By 

Eileen Granfors (Santa Clarita, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Day of the Dead (On My Own Holidays) (Paperback)

Linda Lowery's "The Day of the Dead," with illustrations by Barbara Knutson, is a helpful, colorful, informative book about how other cultures celebrate the fall/harvest season around the time of American Halloween. Rather than ghouls, goblins, and witches, the Hispanic cultures celebrate "El Dia de los Muertos" with joy, for it is a day on which the spirits of those deceased return to their homes and families.

The drawings in the book show happy people remembering their loved ones with the three-day holiday, October 31-November 2. The people bake special loaves of bread, create tamales with mole, and bring in thousands of sacred orange marigolds to honor the dead. There are special candies-- sugar coffins, chocolate skulls--there are bright paper banners and even skeletons made of wood or paper (calacas), each to celebrate something special about those who have gone on to the next world. Lost babies or angelitos are given special recognition.

The celebration of El Dia de los Muertos includes firecrackers, songs, parades, dancing, and story-telling of the dead being honored.

This book explains the joy of the ceremonies and contrasts the festive atmosphere with the traditional fright-night of American Halloween. It also traces the ancient traditions to Aztec times.

Written for young children, grades 1-4, the book is informative to all. The message, that life continues in a cycle, is seen in films such as "The Lion King" and should be understandable to school-age children. I highly recommend this multicultural book for parents and teachers to read with children.

Another book that is stronger and perhaps for older children on the subject of death and regeneration of joy if Pearl Buck's classic, "The Big Wave," about a boy who loses his entire family in a tsunami.

1 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars There are better books available, November 4, 2006

By 

S. Woodend "Elementary Spanish Teacher" (Shamong, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Day of the Dead (On My Own Holidays) (Paperback)

Although this book is recommended for young children and has an elementary feel to the illustrations, it places too much emphasis on death for elementary school children. I was particularly uncomfortable with the almost preachy way it tells us that we should be grateful to be alive. The book contains facts that may be better suited for older children, but it is written in simple language meant for young children.