Reading Level: 630L
Interest Level: Grades K - 2
“The Dead Family Diaz” stars a dearly departed family of skeletons who are preparing for the upcoming Dia de los Muertos parade. Far from being frightening, the skeletons instead are sweet, drawn with large, round, smiling heads inexplicably covered in hair. The book’s use of splashy, bright colors and familiar locations (the breakfast table, a fruit market, being stuck in traffic) also set young readers at ease. Any remaining fears the reader might have about this dead family named Diaz are echoed by the main character, Angelito, who is deathly afraid of “the Living,” who, his sister teases, “have big red tongues and bulging eyes.” This sweet friendship tale is an obvious choice for explaining the cultural relevance and customs of the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos (“‘The Day of the Dead is nothing like Halloween,’ Angelito’s father insists.”) Since the book operates around a boy who fears a group of “others,” and overcomes this fear via a friendship, you could also draw obvious parallels to civil rights and segregation.
