La divina Catrina / Oh, Divine Catrina

 

 

By Aracely De Alvarado

Illustrations by Claudia Navarro

 

 

ISBN: 978-1-55885-910-4

Publication Date: October 31, 2020

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 32

Imprint: Piñata Books

 

 

Catrina, a Mexican skeleton, searches for just the right outfit to wear to a Day of the Dead dance in this bilingual picture book for children ages 4-8.

 

 

The Mexican skeleton Catrina has been invited to a Day of the Dead dance, and she’s searching for just the right outfit to wear.

She pulls her Aunt María’s dress from a dusty chest, but it has a stain! There’s a skirt made of fine cloth, but it looks like a dusty old drape. Purple shoes that don’t fit, a pair of pants that are too short and a blouse missing a button—what will she wear? Finally, she finds a dress that’s perfect; in fact, it’s divine! With fancy necklaces, lavish earrings, rusty rings and bracelets galore, Catrina will be the envy of all at the ball! Dare we say, she’ll be dressed to kill!

This bilingual picture book told in verse familiarizes children with the Mexican Catrina, an iconic figure representing death known to many through Day of the Dead celebrations. Claudia Navarro’s richly textured, playful illustrations will enthrall kids ages 4-8 and inspire their creativity in fashioning just the right costume for their own party.

Review

 

“What to wear, what to wear? The age-old lament takes on a different nuance as Catrina la catrina, a fashionista of the skeletal sort, desperately searches through her ancient trunk for an outfit befitting her station. De Alvarado’s tribute to José Guadalupe Posada’s iconic catrina successfully captures the dressing-for-a-party frenzy. However, Navarro’s cocky catrina steals the show. With the perfect touch of the macabre, la divina Catrina expresses consternation and delight as her frantic search for the perfect outfit progresses.”—Kirkus Reviews

 

 

ARACELY DE ALVARADO, a preschool teacher, wrote her first story because she wanted to develop and enrich her students’ vocabulary and language skills. She is the author of Luna luminosa, ¿dónde estás? / Luminous Moon, Where Are You? (Piñata Books, 2020) and Los pingüinos / The Penguins(Palibrio, 2014). Aracely studied artistic design, drawing and oil painting. She is from Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, and lives in California with her husband.

 

 

CLAUDIA NAVARRO was born in Mexico City and studied graphic design at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Her publications include Kayapó, jíbaros y cashinahua (Nostra Ediciones, 2014), Quiero ser un héroe (Nostra Ediciones, 2019), El viejito del sillón (Ediciones El Naranjo, 2016), El velo de Helena (Ediciones El Naranjo, 2019), La Frontera: El viaje con papá / My Journey with Papá (Barefoot Books, 2018) and El regalo (Pearson Educación, 2013).