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).

Luna luminosa, ¿dónde estás? / Luminous Moon, Where Are You?

 

By Aracely De Alvarado

Illustrations by Victoria Castillo

 

 

ISBN: 978-1-55885-911-1

Publication Date: October 31, 2020

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 32

Imprint: Piñata Books

Ages: 4-8

 

 

Juanito wonders where the moon has gone in this bilingual picture book for kids ages 4-8 about the phases of the moon.

 

 

Juanito looked outside one dark night and discovered the moon was nowhere to be seen! Where could it have gone? Is it hiding under the bed or behind a great mountain?

 

He wonders if the coyote took it to his lair, but the wily canine couldn’t catch the slippery moon. “Aaah-ooooooh, aaaah-ooooooh, aaaah-ooooooh,” he cries sadly. Maybe the cicada’s deafening screeches made it disappear! Or did the owl bewitch the luminous moon? Perhaps the frog drowned it in the lagoon! Could the fireflies’ bright lights have hidden its glow? Juanito just doesn’t know!

 

This charming story by Aracely De Alvarado introducing the phases of the moon to children is enlivened by Victoria Castillo’s bright, eye-catching illustrations depicting the nighttime sky and animals in their habitat. Kids ages 4 - 8, and some adults too, will enjoy repeating the sounds animals make—in English and Spanish!

 

 

REVIEW

 

“A boy discovers that the moon is missing from the sky and enlists the help of nighttime animals to find it in this bilingual picture book. The animal sounds used in each character’s response to Juanito’s queries make for perfect read-aloud potential. The dreamlike illustrations depict Juanito as a young Latinx boy with brown skin and straight brown hair. STEM content and a Spanish lullaby pair up for a satisfying bedtime story.”—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 La divina Catrina / Oh, Divine Catrina (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.

 

VICTORIA CASTILLO is an illustrator, graphic designer, photographer and concept artist. She illustrated The Little Doctor / El doctorcito by Juan J. Guerra (Piñata Books, 2017). She lives and works in Houston, Texas.