Recommended Reads #9
Halloween, Diá de los Muertos and Diwali
Diwali, the festival of lights, is celebrated across India by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and some Buddhists. It marks the Hindu New Year, and celebrates the triumph of good over evil, light over dark. This year, Diwali begins on October 27.
Día de los Muertos goes from 10/31 to 11/2. It is a Mexican holiday that honors and celebrates loved ones who have died.
Are You Scared, Darth Vader? by Adam Rex
OF COURSE I AM NOT SCARED.
Nothing can scare Lord Vader!
CORRECT.
Not monsters or witches or ghosts, and especially not the dark.
So what is Darth Vader scared of?
Read on in Adam Rex's hilarious and spooky Star Wars tale to find out!
YOU WILL LEARN NOTHING.
Dia de los Muertos by Roseanne Greenfield Thong
It’s Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) and children throughout the pueblo, or town, are getting ready to celebrate! They decorate with colored streamers, calaveras, or sugar skulls, and pan de muertos, or bread of the dead. There are altars draped in cloth and covered in marigolds and twinkling candles. Music fills the streets. Join the fun and festivities, learn about a different cultural tradition, and brush up on your Spanish vocabulary, as the town honors their dearly departed in a traditional, time-honored style.
Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras by Duncan Tonatiuh
Funny Bones tells the story of how the amusing calaveras—skeletons performing various everyday or festive activities—came to be. They are the creation of Mexican artist José Guadalupe (Lupe) Posada (1852–1913). In a country that was not known for freedom of speech, he first drew political cartoons, much to the amusement of the local population but not the politicians. He continued to draw cartoons throughout much of his life, but he is best known today for his calavera drawings. They have become synonymous with Mexico’s Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) festival. Juxtaposing his own art with that of Lupe’s, author Duncan Tonatiuh brings to light the remarkable life and work of a man whose art is beloved by many but whose name has remained in obscurity.
Lights for Gita, by Rachna Gilmore
Recently immigrated from India, Gita is looking forward to celebrating her favorite holiday, Divali, a festival of lights, but things are so different in her new home that she wonders if she will ever adjust.