Celebrating the Day of the Dead

Cristina is excited to celebrate Día de los Muertos with her brother, Carlos, and their family. Young readers can follow along as everyone gets ready to remember their loved ones who are no longer with them. Vibrant illustrations will express the festive, yet poignant, spirit of the celebration as everyone decorates their home, dresses up for a costume parade, decorates an altar, cooks tamales and sweet treats, and much more. At the end, there are additional facts about Día de los Muertos to reinforce the significance of all the traditions depicted in the book.

This engaging book for kids explains the history, traditions, and customs of Día de los Muertos. You'll also find fun activities that encourage kids to celebrate in their communities. From baking pan de muerto (or "bread of the dead") to creating paper marigold flowers, this holiday book for kids includes activities that let families get festive at home.

Get ready for a party — these skeletons are ready to celebrate the Day of the Dead! They sing, they dance, they eat…but mostly they make a lot of noise! This playful book captures the festive mood of the Day of the Dead through its energetic illustrations and text, which consists of musical phrases and rhythms. The author's note is written in English but incorporates Spanish words and expressions into the explanation.

This jacketed picture book pairs Newbery Winner Matt de la Peña and Pixar artist Ana Ramírez with the highly anticipated Pixar Studios film, Coco. Featuring a beautiful original story based on the characters of the film, as well as vibrant stylized artwork, this title is sure to appeal to readers of all ages.

"Above a small town in Mexico, the sun rises like a great marigold." So begins one family's preparation for El día de los muertos. The children are eager to try just a taste of this and that, but everyone says they must wait until the family is ready to take their offerings to the cemetery for a night of celebration and remembrance. The warmth of this story about one of Mexico's most important traditions shines through the text and illustrations.

Day of the Dead, or Día de Muertos in Spanish, is a happy celebration. The Mexican holiday is a time to welcome back loved ones who are no longer with us. This is done with offerings of favorite foods, brightly colored marigolds, sugar skulls, and more. This Little Golden Book is a great read-aloud for families that celebrate Day of the Dead, as well as for those who want to learn more about it.

It's Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) and children throughout the pueblo, or town, are getting ready to celebrate! They decorate with colored streamers, calaveras, or sugar skulls, and pan de muertos, or bread of the dead. There are altars draped in cloth and covered in marigolds and twinkling candles. Music fills the streets. Join the fun and festivities, learn about a different cultural tradition, and brush up on your Spanish vocabulary, as the town honors their dearly departed in a traditional, time-honored style.

From award-winning and beloved author-illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh comes this celebratory bilingual picture book centering on a Día de Muertos ofrenda (Day of the Dead altar), constructed annually to honor the memory and welcome the spirit of a loved one. The book uses a counting structure, from one to ten, to focus on family members and their offerings, with a double-gatefold finale that opens to reveal the family gathered around the fully decorated ofrenda with all of their offerings.

Funny Bones tells the story of how the amusing calaveras—skeletons performing various everyday or festive activities—came to be. They are the creation of Mexican artist José Guadalupe (Lupe) Posada (1852–1913). In a country that was not known for freedom of speech, he first drew political cartoons, much to the amusement of the local population but not the politicians. However, today he is best known today for his calavera drawings. They have become synonymous with Mexico’s Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) festival.

Gustavo is good at doing all sorts of ghostly things: walking through walls, making objects fly, and glowing in the dark. And he loves almost nothing more than playing beautiful music on his violin. But Gustavo is shy, and some things are harder for him to do, like getting in a line to buy eye scream or making friends with other monsters. Whenever he tries getting close to them, he realizes they just can’t see him. Now that the Day of the Dead is fast approaching, what can he do to make them notice him and to share with them something he loves?

As a family prepares for the Day of the Dead, a young girl remembers her grandfather, and wonders when and how his spirit will return to visit. Perhaps, she thinks, he will come back with the Monarch butterflies who are returning to Mexico — as long as he doesn't get lost! Warm, colorful illustrations bring the lovely setting and story to life, making this an excellent selection for younger readers.

What's an old woman to do when a skeleton comes to visit? Keep him waiting, of course, while busy doing things from 1 to 10, culminating in a festive birthday celebration. Lively language and illustrations make this original tale memorable.

Señor Calvera is back! This time, he is looking forward to Grandma Beetle's birthday party — but he can't figure out what gift to give her. He consults with Zelmiro the Ghost and chooses one gift for every letter of the alphabet: acordéon, bigotes, cosquillas (accordian, moustaches, and tickles). It isn't until he reaches the letter Z, however, that Señor Calvera finds the best gift of all for Grandma Beetle.

Little Skeletons / Esqueletitos is a Day of the Dead-themed take on the traditional Latin American song "Los Esqueletitos (Calaveras) Salen de la Tumba”, with art inspired by the famous Mexican Calavera woodcut prints. A moveable clock at the start of the book will tempt little fingers to change the time along with the story, while increasing numbers of tiny skeletons beg to be counted.

Maria's story begins as she honors her baby brother on the first Day of the Dead. Maria is sad about the deaths in her family, but she feels a little bit better while she spends time with her family. When her parents go North to the United States, however, Maria has to confront a new kinds of sadness — until the family is again reunited and Maria helps them maintain their important traditions in a new place. Young children who have experienced loss or separation may feel a particular connection with Maria and her story.

Welcome to the family! It's just like yours: father, mother, sister, brother, abuelita, gato, even a great-great grandmother. Well, but there's something just a little bit different about this particular family. Maybe it's those clothes they wear . . . just a little bit fashion backward. And the colors! So vibrant and . . . lively. Maybe that's what it is. They are just so full of life while looking almost other worldly.

The Day of the Dead is a happy day when Mar’s family gathers together. There are favorite dishes to enjoy, games to be played, and most importantly, stories to tell. No one in the family is forgotten because this is the day of the year when the dead come to visit the living — and for this holiday it is almost as if they’re alive again, as the family takes great joy in celebrating the things that made them special. Mar realizes she is just like her Grandpa Ramón, who kept a journal. And her sister, Paz, plays accordian, just like their great-grandfather.

This compelling photo essay from George Ancona follows the preparations of young Pablo and his family for the Day of the Dead as they remember Pablo's grandmother. Ancona's photos cover a wide range of the family's activities, from a trip to the market to the family altar overflowing with marigolds. Ancona offers readers an authentic glimpse of daily life in Oaxaca, Mexico, as well as a sense of the love and care with which the family prepares for the celebration. Spanish version available.

A child and their family observe the customs of Día de los Angelitos, one of the ritual celebrations of Día de Muertos, to celebrate the life of their beloved dog who passed away. They build a thoughtful ofrenda to help lead the pet’s soul home and help the little one process their grief in this moving reminder that loved ones are never really gone if we take the time to remember them.

Bright illustrations convey the festive traditions of the Latin American celebration known as the Day of the Dead accompanied by a straightforward Spanish/English text. An endnote about the holiday as well as the inspiration for the art are included.

Rosita tells Elmo and Abby all about the Mexican celebration called El Día de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead in English. It's a special time to remember loved ones who are no longer here. Rosita shows her friends the ofrenda she has made, with pictures of her relatives and plates of their favorite foods. This board book is a great way to teach the youngest children about this very special holiday.

With the humor and spirit of the Mexican celebration of the Day of the Dead, this imaginative festival depicts the travels, dances, and songs of happy skulls and skeletons. The easy rhyming text and the fanciful illustrations have a definite Mexican flavor.

It is Día de Muertos — the Day of the Dead — and the family ofrenda is at the center of the celebration! Inspired by the popular nursery rhyme “The House That Jack Built,” The Ofrenda That We Built invites readers to join in the building of a colorful ofrenda, a home altar full of symbols and meaning, one special element at a time.

Long, long, long ago, Bella and her grandmother Mamá Alma admired their vegetable garden. They liked gardening together. They grew sunflowers and lilies too, and chatted with lizards and hummingbirds. They walked around the flowers and vegetables holding hands, something they had done frequently since Bella was a baby. As her grandmother aged, Bella helped her to walk. "Every year, I need your help more and more," said Mamá Alma.

Nando has many fond memories of Uncle Fernando, which he thinks of as he and his mother prepare to honor Fernando's memory. When Nando goes to the market to look for things that remind him of his uncle, he wonders just how he will know that Fernando's spirit has returned. Rich in detail, this story offers a perfect introduction to the Mexican customs of the Day of the Dead.

Day after day, Lupita and Tío Urbano watch the Monarch butterflies arrive. Urbano says they are the souls of the dead ones arriving in time for Día de los muertos. When Urbano becomes sick and dies soon after, Lupita feels only sadness — until she sees the Monarchs and remembers Urbano's words. The beautiful story and illustrations bring the true meaning of this important celebration to life for readers young and old.