Funny Bones

Bibliography: Tonatiuh, D. (2015). Funny Bones: Posada and his day of the dead calaveras. Abrams Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-1-419-71647-8

Plot Summary:  This is a biography of  Jose Guadalupe Posada, whose famous calaveras prints became the iconic skeleton depiction for the "Dia de Los Muertos" celebrations. It tells of his beginnings as a young cartoonist, to owning his own print shop, to finally how the  famous calaveras prints came to be. 

Critical Analysis: Tonatiuh defines unfamiliar Spanish terms through illustration and example. He explains the process used by Posada, such as creating a lithograph or engraving, using step by step instructions that include illustrations. The language is simple and clearly demonstrated in the illustrations. The illustrations are the highlight of this picture book.  Tonatiuh pays homage to his Spanish heritage by creating pictures that pay homage to Posada's Hispanic heritage: "a modern take on pre-Columbian art".(1) He makes the reader think by including thoughtful, open-ended questions every few pages about the previous section of reading. And the message is one that all children are taught, but bears repeating, that we should treat each other with kindness and not discriminate, because we are all the same on the inside. Though I enjoyed the story and the illustrations, I thought the step-by-step instructions for creating some of Posada's works could have been minimal. 

Reviews:

The New York Times: "...scary, but perhaps in equal measure witty... a captivating new book...."

Kirkus Reviews: "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."

Awards:

New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books, 2015

Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal, 2016

Tomás Rivera Mexican-American Children's Book Award, 2016

Américas Award Honor, 2016

Connections:

Use in elementary classes on Dia de los Muertos. Read aloud and then have students create their own calaveras artwork.

Use in middle or high school Spanish classes on Dia de los Muertos. Read aloud, have students place events on a timeline and then create their own calaveras artwork 

Source:

(1)Barajas, J. (2016, November 2). A Mexican-american artist on why more brown faces are needed in children's books. PBS. Retrieved March 15, 2023, from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/mexican-american-artist-brown-faces-needed-childrens-books

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