The Horn Book Guide

PICTURE BOOKS

Goldman, Judy

Uncle Monarch and the Day of the Dead

32 pp. | Boyds | August, 2008 | Trade ISBN 978-1-59078-425-9 $16.95

(4) K-3 Illustrated by René King Moreno. Lupita and Tío Urbano welcome the arrival of the monarch butterflies, which Urbano tells her are the souls of their "dead ones" visiting before the Day of the Dead. Sadly, Urbano dies days before the celebration, but at the cemetery, Lupita sees a monarch and knows her uncle is there. The story provides useful information about this Mexican holiday; the fuzzy colored-pencil illustrations are awkwardly rendered. Glos.

Reviewer: Alissa C. Salamone