10 Books to Celebrate Día de Muertos
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written by Jolene Gutiérrez
When my daughter Shaian was born 24 years ago, I searched far and wide for books that would allow her to see herself and help her experience her culture. Back then, those books were difficult to find. When Shaian grew up and we were working/learning together during the pandemic, we were also mourning and remembering family members we’d recently lost.
Celebrating Día de Muertos and our ofrenda became such a comfort to us that we decided to work together to write the story The Ofrenda That We Built. I’m honored that our book will help fill a void that was once there. Now, our book is in such beautiful company that you can immerse yourself and your young readers in the holiday of Día de Muertos!
Books to Celebrate Día de Muertos
Abuelita’s Gift: A Día de Muertos Story written by Mariana Ríos Ramírez and illustrated by Sara Palacios, published by Alfred A. Knopf, 2024.
Julieta wants to remember Abuelita during Día de Muertos. Finally, Julieta settles on the perfect way to honor and remember Abuelita–a way that used to bring a smile to Abuelita’s face and still brings a smile to Julieta’s. The back matter includes an author’s note and a glossary that allow readers a chance to learn more about Día de Muertos.
Day of the Dead: A Celebration of Life, Little Golden Book written by Polo Orozco and illustrated by Mirelle Ortega, published by Golden Books, 2024.
This Little Golden Book teaches readers about what they’ll see and experience during Día de Muertos, from ofrendas to parades to celebrations in cemeteries. The history of the holiday is also included in this luminously illustrated book.
Día de Muertos: Números: A Day of the Dead Counting Book written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh, published by Abrams Appleseed, 2023.
This number concept picture book introduces young readers to ten of the elements of a Día de Muertos altar. The text is fully bilingual and each spread showcases Duncan Tonatiuh’s gorgeous, stylized characters based on pre-Columbian artistic styles.
Día de Muertos: A Papel Picado Lift-the-Flap Book written by Dori Elys, illustrated by Alicia Más, published by Little Simon, 2023.
This colorful board book sprinkles Spanish throughout and encourages hands-on, tactile learning by offering beautiful papel picado-styled flaps for little hands to lift. What a lovely way to introduce some of the elements of Día de Muertos to your youngest readers!
Lola’s First Day of the Dead part of the ¡Hola, Lola! series written by Keka Novales, illustrated by Carolina Vázquez, published by Capstone, 2024.
This book is part of a chapter book series that features Lola, a Guatemalan American girl whose family helps her learn more about Guatemalan traditions, including Día de Muertos and one of the important dishes served in Guatemala during this holiday, fiambre. This book is a beautiful way to allow readers of Guatemalan heritage to feel seen and represented while allowing other readers to learn about new traditions.
Where is? / ¿Dónde está? Mi Ofrenda written and illustrated by Mariana Galvez, published by Lil’ Libros, 2022.Join Amelia in this search-and-find bilingual book that allows readers to practice their colors and learn about different parts of an ofrenda. Back matter gives more information about some of the elements of an ofrenda. Readers will enjoy searching each page for an item to add to Amelia’s ofrenda.
An Ofrenda for Perro written by Judith Valdés B. and illustrated by Carlos Vélez Aguilera, published by Little Bee Books, 2023.
This beautifully illustrated picture book explores how healing the Día de Muertos traditions are for Benito after losing his beloved dog, Perro. Benito examines the elements of his family’s ofrenda and learns the power of memories and remembering those we love.
The Ofrenda That We Built written by Jolene Gutiérrez and Shaian Gutiérrez and illustrated by Gabby Zapata, published by Chronicle Books, 2024.
My daughter and I wrote this cumulative story as a way of remembering our own loved ones who had passed but also as a way to celebrate some of the elements of an ofrenda. We’re hoping it will help readers either see their own traditions reflected back to them or it will help readers learn more about a tradition they haven’t tried yet. We’ve included extensive back matter so readers can learn more about Día de Muertos, the elements of ofrendas, and even how to build their own ofrenda!
Our Day of the Dead Celebration written and illustrated by Ana Aranda, published by Nancy Paulsen Books, 2022.
This picture book introduces us to the Faro family and their Day of the Dead celebrations. Join the family as they make preparations, write poems in memory of family members who have passed away, and share family stories.
¡Vamos! Let’s Celebrate Halloween and Día de los Muertos: A Halloween and Day of the Dead Celebration written and illustrated by Raúl the Third, published by Versify, 2024.
I love Raúl the Third’s World of ¡Vamos! picture book graphic novel stories because they have such a high level of re-readability–they’re like the Mexican American version of a Richard Scarry story. Join Little Lobo and his friends as they celebrate first Halloween and then Día de Muertos in their town.
Jolene Gutiérrez grew up on a farm in northeastern Colorado, surrounded by animals, plants, and history. She is an award-winning teacher-librarian and has been working with diverse learners at Denver Academy since 1995. She’s a wife of 25 years and a mama to two young adults, three dogs, two cats, and an ever-rotating variety of other rescue animals. Jolene is an active member of SCBWI, The Author’s Guild, and KidLitCollective, and a co-creator of #KidlitZombieWeek and the Picture Book Gold group. Jolene is represented by agent Kaitlyn Sanchez of Bradford Literary. Learn more about her and her books at www.jolenegutierrez.com or on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram @writerjolene.
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