Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Non Fiction Picture Book Wednesday


Alyson Beecher over at Kid Lit Frenzy hosts a Non-fiction Picture Book Challenge and has a roundup every Wednesday. I love the encouragement to explore more non-fiction.



Goodreads Summary: From October 31 to November 2, people in Mexico celebrate the festival of el Dia de Los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. This photodocumentary follows Pablo and his family as they prepare to honor the memory of Pablo's grandmother. Also available in a Spanish Language edition, Pablo Recuerda.

My Thoughts: I appreciate George Ancona's ability to transport readers to another place and time. His photographs have a sense of immediacy. They are full of life and they share so much information.  His text adds any missing pieces of information we may still need. The body of the book shows how one family prepares for and celebrates the Day of the Dead. The note at the end provides a history of how the fiesta came to be celebrated. I enjoyed learning more about this holiday and look forward to sharing parts of this book with my students. 

A Few Fiction Titles for Pairing:
The Dead Family Diaz by P.J. Bracegirdle
Mi Familia Calaca by Cynthia Weill
Rosita y Conchita by Eric Gonzalez and Erich Haeger
The Day of the Dead by Bob Barner


Other Resources for Day of the Dead:

12 comments:

  1. I can't believe October is here! Thanks for sharing these book to talk about another way of looking at holidays in October!

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    1. Yes. Halloween is fun, but it's not the only one. Okay, didn't mean to make a rhyme.

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  2. Thanks for sharing. I know very little about Day of the Dead. NFPBs help me understand a bit more about things I didn't know and was too lazy to actually do research on!

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    1. That's actually why I like nonfiction picture books. They are an efficient way for me to learn a little bit about many topics.

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  3. I always thought it was a wonderful idea to honor loved ones who passed away by throwing a fiesta! Thanks for sharing this book and celebrating diversity! :-)

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    1. Yes, the way they celebrate the lives of loved ones seems very meaningful and I can see how it would bring healing. It's interesting that one of the resources brought up the similarities with some Asian cultures that honor loved ones and ancestors. They specifically pointed to rituals within the Korean Thanksgiving celebration.

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  4. I appreciate all of these other titles you listed here. I need to learn more about these celebrations.

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    1. Aside from the educational aspect, some of the picture books are also super fun.

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  5. I didn't realize there were so many books about The Day of the Dead. Very interesting. This season is also quite huge back in the Philippines - it's called Todos Los Santos.

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    1. I didn't know about the celebration in the Philippines. Thanks!

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  6. Have you seen the book app for Rosita Y Conchita? It is fun to share as well. In SoCal, we have many classes/schools that do celebrations for The Day of the Dead.

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    1. I haven't seen that app. I bet the students enjoy it. Thanks for letting me know about it.

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