Pablo Remembers
Grade 2-4-Using clear prose on attractively bordered pages and well-composed full-color photographs, Ancona takes readers through the preparations for The Day of the Dead, a Hispanic holiday that extends from October 31st- November 2nd. Pablo Montano Ruiz, a boy of about 12 who lives near Oaxaca, goes shopping for candles, tomatoes, sugarcane, radishes, and calaveras de dulce (sugar skulls), all necessary ingredients for the special foods and elaborate ceremonies that are detailed. All of the items purchased are given in both Spanish and English. This intriguing book makes an excellent offering during the Halloween season, as it gives a different perspective on a holiday that is both perceived and marketed in our culture as a time of frightening hauntings. Mexicans, combining Spanish Christian beliefs with Aztec and Mayan cosmology, view these three days-All Hallows' Eve, All Saints' Day, and All Souls' Day-as a time of loving family remembrance of those who have died. A sound title for balance in collections, ESL classes, or multicultural studies.Ann Welton, Terminal Park Elementary School, Auburn, WACopyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.