NONFICTION & BIOGRAPHY - Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Tonatiuh, Duncan.  2015.  Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras. New York, Abrams Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9781419716478

PLOT SUMMARY

This nonfiction book tells the story and life of Jose Guadalupe Posada, a Mexican artist.  In the story, he is referred to as Don Lupe.  It highlights the ups and downs of his life. The book flows through how he began his career at a young age in art and his methods that helped him become famous. It shows his growth through the print-making process and how he was able to help local newspapers in his area. Throughout the book, it also highlights political cartoons that he drew which showed his thoughts and opinions on the Mexican Revolution. He also drew not only famous people but also his local friends.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

First and foremost, the illustrations on the cover and throughout this book are very inviting and interesting for any aged reader. The colorful illustrations draw attention to the details put in the artwork as well. Tonatiuh does an excellent job at the colorful illustrations that directly go along with his facts on the life of Jose Guadalupe Posada and the Mexican culture. The style and illustrations alone made me wish it was the end of October just to read this book aloud to others to celebrate the Day of the Dead. 

In the author’s note section, Tonatiuh gives credit to multiple sources for gathering his facts and research over the life of Jose Guadalupe Posada. He organized this book by following a chronological sequence of events in the life of Mr. Posada while keeping it in a storyline format so that it is engaging to all readers.

As an individual who is not fluent in Spanish, I enjoyed the mini-glossary with pronunciations in the book.  This helped make sense of how to say some of the words to use this as a read-aloud book. His use of questions to the reader make it very engaging as well.

The content of this book really zones in on the facts and you can tell he did his research not only on Jose Guadalupe Posada but also on the Mexican Revolution for valuable information.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

BOOKLIST: “This exceptional picture-book biography profiles Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada (1852–1913), who is remembered primarily for his portrayal of calaveras, the droll skeletons prominent in Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations. Posada, who loved to draw as a child, later discovered printmaking, the art form that would shape his career.” 

 

HORN BOOK MAGAZINE: “In his signature flat illustrative style reminiscent of the Mixtec (an indigenous Mesoamerican people) codex, Tonatiuh digitally layers various colors and textures onto simple, black-outlined line drawings. Appropriately, Posada’s own artwork also plays a prominent role in the book and provides a nice complement to Tonatiuh’s illustrations, especially in a series of broadsides that ask the reader to consider the relationship between art and politics in Mexican culture.” 

 

KIRKUS: “Tonatiuh's Mixtec-influenced illustrations make an apt complement to this picture-book biography of one of Mexico's most beloved artists, Jose Guadalupe Posada. Tonatiuh skillfully blends his own distinctive style of digital collage and hand drawings not only to highlight events in Posada's life, but also to add whimsical elements by introducing contemporary calaveras. He incorporates amusing, thoughtful exercises for young readers into the narrative, prompting them to interpret the messages behind Posada's artwork.” 

 

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: “With a wealth of biographical and contextual information (much of it in an extensive author's note), it's a valuable introduction to Posada that will leave readers thinking about the process of creating art and the social impact it can have.”

 

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “The beautifully expressive Day of the Dead-inspired illustrations on heavy paper pages sport borders of bones, grinning skeletons, and Tonatiuh's signature figures shown in profile, influenced by the ancient Mexican art of his ancestors. Simple yet effective sentences accompany step-by-step images detailing the artistic processes that Posada learned as a printer's apprentice: lithography, engraving, and etching.” 

CONNECTIONS

• This would be a fantastic read in any aged art classroom. So many art lessons can be pulled from the illustrations alone. 

• Great read-aloud option for the end of October, even at the start of the Day of the Dead celebrations, or during National Hispanic Heritage Month.

• History teachers could pull the use of his political cartoons for a quick lesson over freedom of speech.

• Other stories written or illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh:

• Tonatiuh, D. DEAR PRIMO: A LETTER TO MY COUSIN. ISBN 9780810938724

• Tonatiuh, D. DIEGO RIVERA: HIS WORLD AND OURS. ISBN 9780810997318

• Tonatiuh, D. PANCHO RABBIT AND THE COYOTE. ISBN 9781419705830