Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras

(Picture from Goodreads.com)

 

1.       Bibliography

Tonatiuh, Duncan. 2015. FUNNY BONES: POSADA AND HIS DAY OF THE DEAD CALAVERAS. New York, NY: Abrams Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-1-4197-1647-8

 

2.       Plot Summary

Tonatiuh’s non-fiction story FUNNY BONES, tells the story of how calaveras came to be. The figures were created by Mexican artist Jose Guadalupe Posada, known as Lupe. Lupe learned the art of painting and printing at a young age and eventually owned his own shop. As political unrest heightened, Lupe drew political cartoons and shared them. The locals were delighted and amused with the images, but the politicians did not find his humor funny. His cartoons were spread widely but he is most commonly known for his calavera drawings that have become the images associated with Mexico’s Dia de Muertos festival. Tonatiuh relates the important moments in Lupe’s life and also gives life to the images and how they were/are created.

3.       Critical Analysis

Tonatiuh uses many text features that help bring images and understanding to life. He does tell the story of Jose Guadalupe Posada’s (AKA Lupe) life. However, Tonatiuh sticks to pivotal events in Lupe’s life. Instead of just a biography, there are images from the author and Lupe included. There are also images detailing how the pictures were created ranging from lithography, engraving and etching. This is useful for the reader to visualize how Lupe created his drawings.

 

The images created by Lupe are calaveras. In black and white, these are skeletons that perform all kinds of activities from day-to-day tasks to festive actions. They may be dancing, playing instruments, riding bicycles, and even sweeping the sidewalks. Despite being skeletons that are associated with feelings of being scared, calaveras are not meant to frighten you, but rather celebrate the joy of living and make humorous observations about people.

 

Included at the end is an author’s note about the Dia de Muertos celebration and the history surrounding Lupe’s inspiration. There is also a glossary of terms that could assist people unfamiliar with the language and meanings in the text, specifically Spanish terms. There is also a bibliography and art credits since many of the drawings in the book were Lupe’s and not Tonatiuh’s own. Tonatiuh does include his own images in the retelling of Lupe’s life and juxtaposes his own images to that of Lupe’s. Tonatiuh’s style is described as Mixtec codex imagery. There is also a listing of where you can Lupe’s work in person and an index. The information provided at the back of the book will be useful for anyone looking for further information.

4.       Awards/ Reviews

**STARRED REVIEW** "Playful but informative, this picture book offers a fascinating introduction to the artist and his work."―Booklist

 

**STARRED REVIEW** "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... Tonatiuh further marks himself as a major nonfiction talent with this artistically beautiful and factually accessible offering that effectively blends artistic and political content for young readers."―Kirkus Reviews

**STARRED REVIEW** "A wealth of biographical and contextual information... 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."―Publishers Weekly

 

A ​New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2015
A Robert F. Sibert Award Winner
A Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor Book
An ALA/ALSC Notable Children's Book

5.       Connections

*This would be a great book to show to students when learning about Mexican heritage, specifically Dia de Muertos and National Hispanic Heritage Month.

*Students interested in art might enjoy seeing how these images were created

*History of printing and creating images is pictured in this book and could be used to compare the past printing/art creations to the use of modern technology.

*This book could be used in history class when studying political cartoons.