The Dead Family Diaz
It's time to go among the living and Angelito is not quite sure he's ready for the trip. His sister has scared him with comments of humans with big red tongues, bulging eyes, and squishy hot flesh while his parents are trying to calm him. His parent inform him for just one day very soon, they will travel up top. Up there, the Living and the Dead will come together like they do every year as friends, to celebrate and he should not be afraid. The day arrives and the families of the Dead all gather below to the one elevator which will then take them all to the Land of the Living. The illustrator works magic on this illustration in the novel as it captures my attention. The brightness of the colors and the activities on this pages shows the enthusiasm of the Dead as they await for ride to the top to be reunited with the Living for their one day of celebration. Angelito looks sad on his way to the top as the guests are all smiles in the elevator. A car full of skeletons traveling to the world of the Living. They are warmly greeted by the Living, for everyone has dressed for this occasion in garments matching their guests. They're all wearing brightly colored garments and a skeleton face. Immediately, Angelito gets separated from his family among all the shouting and celebrating. Finding a child who looks like a someone from the Dead, Angelito asks for help. Pablo and Angelito find refuge in each other and as they devise a plan to combat the craziness that is all around them, they begin to realize the true identity of each other. The author makes an excellent point in this story and Angelito, Pablo and Estrellita learn a great lesson. I really enjoyed the illustrations in this book, they were very festive and bright. I was glad to see this holiday book as when we travel to Mexico I see many references to this holiday but not many individuals know much about it stateside. The author has included in the back of the novel a page about the holiday and its significance.
