The Spirit of Tio Fernando |
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Book Review
The Spirit of Tio Fernando: A Day of the Dead Story/ El Espiritu De Tio Fernando : Una Historia Del Dia De Los Muertos by Janice Levy, illustrated by Morella Fuenmayor ( Albert Whitman & Company, 1995).
Ages 5-10
Day of the Dead, or Dia de Los Muertos, is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and other places on November 1 and 2. If you celebrate this holiday yourself, or if your family would like to learn more about this beautiful celebration, you can't go wrong with The Spirit of Tio Fernando..
The story is told from the perspective of Nando. His uncle has died six months ago, and Nando remembers him fondly as his family prepares rememberances. Levy does a nice job of integrating the cultural traditions into the story, as Nando shops for the holiday and seeks answers about life and death. At the story's conclusion, set at Nando's uncle's graveside, Nando experiences a joyful certainty that his family has successfully recalled his uncle's spirit, and that his uncle knows that he is loved and remembered.
If you would like to learn more about Day of the Dead, Mexico Connect has a site with articles and photos:
http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/feature/daydeadindex.html.
