A fantastic encounter on the Day of the Dead. Today is Beto’s favorite holiday — the Day of the Dead. First, he and his father craft an altar at home in honor of Beto’s recently departed grandmother, filled with the things she loved in life. Later, it’s off to the cemetery, where at midnight all the dead souls will come to visit the living. It’s a celebratory occasion, but Beto is distraught because he isn’t able to find a perfect gift for Abuela’s altar. The answer to his dilemma is found in a wild dream, in which Beto joins a conga line of dance-mad skeletons. Through her effulgent paintings and rhythmic text, the author conveys all the excitement of this unique Mexican fiesta, as well as a comforting message for children who have lost a loved one.

Related: Mexico, Primary (ages 6-9), Realistic Fiction

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• ISBN: 9780374317201
• Author: Gina Freschet
• Illustrator: Freschet, Gina
• Published: 2001, Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
• Themes: Children, cultures, Dance, Gifts, Grandmothers, Life, Love, Night, painting, traditions
• Descriptors: Mexico, Primary (ages 6-9), Realistic Fiction
• No. of pages: 32