Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the
Dead Calaveras
Funny Bones
Written and Illustrated By: Duncan
Tonatiuh
Copyright: 2015
Published by: Harry N. Abrams
2016 Sibert Award Winner; Pura Belpé Honor Book; New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 2015
Genre: Non-Fiction
My rating:
Grade Level: 3-6 Grade
Lexile Measure: N/A
This beautifully illustrated book dives into the life of an
artist and social commentator, Jose Guadalupe Posada who is best down for his
literary Calaveras. The expressive Day
of the Dead illustrations are influences by the ancient Mexican art of his
ancestors. The simple step-by-step images and words detail the artistic process
that Posada learned as a printer’s apprentice: lithography, engraving, and
etching. The readers will appreciate
Posada’s passion for his profession. The
beautiful illustrations combined with the simple words make this book a
wonderful honor to celebrate el Dia de Muertos.
Suggested Delivery:
Read Aloud
Words to Describe book:
Expressive
Passionate
Beautiful
Colorful
Honorable
Useful Electronic Resources:
This resource is
packed with many different activities for the students to participate in
alongside reading this informational text.
This resource also aligned with the Common Core State Standards in all
domains of literacy. This resource also
provides activity sheets in both English and Spanish so every student will be
able to fully participate in the activities provided.
This video is an
animated short film (3 minutes) about a girl who visits the land of the dead
and learns the true meaning of the Mexican holiday, Dia de los Muertos. Students can watch this short film to build
their background knowledge and schema about this holiday before the book is
introduced and read.
This is a great
audio of the author talking about why he wrote the book and talks about Posada
and how he did his research to find out more about his art. The author also shares one of the pages in
the book. This could be a good resource
and activity for pre-reading so students can preview the text and build up
their interest and motivation to find out more about this amazing artist.
Teaching Opportunities:
Key Vocabulary:
Calavera-
Spanish word for skull and a traditional Latin American decoration used on Day
of the Dead
Lithography-
Printmaking technique that is based on the principle that oil and water don’t
mix
Engraving-
Printmaking technique where artist makes a drawing on a hard surface using
specific tools
Papel Picado-
Paper banners of bright, decorative sheets with intricate cutout designs used
during the day of the dead
Etching-
Printmaking technique where acid is used to bite or disintegrate the areas of a
metal plate that are not covered by an acid-resistant substance
La Catrina- A
dapper female
Reading Strategy Suggestions to increase
literal and/ or inferential comprehension:
Pre-Reading
Strategy
Student
Questions for Purposeful Learning
After watching
the short film clip on the Day of the Dead and listening to the author explain
a little about the book, students can participate in questioning for purposeful
learning. The material given before the students construct a question will give
them some information about the topic but also leave them with some questions
so students can ask the questions and share with the rest of the class. After reading, the students can try and
answer the questions that they had about the holiday or artist if
possible.
During-Reading Strategy
Jigsaw- students
become experts in one specialized aspect of a topic with their group
members. The students meet with other
groups to give them information about their topic so all groups are able to get
the information and become experts on all the topics at the end of the
activity. The students can look more
into the artist and his artwork, the Day of the Dead celebration, or other
interesting areas that the students might be interested in leraning more
about.
Post-Reading
Strategy
Opinionnaire
Students will
complete an opinionnaire regarding the text as a whole. The questions will
provide at least 5 choices for students to check next to their answer choices
and will also be able to provide their own answers. Some questions might include:
What words would
you use to describe Posada’s artwork?
Is the Day of
the Dead a holiday that you would like to celebrate?
Based on the
text, which of the following statements are true?
Writing Activity
Think about the
character of Posada. If you wanted to
learn more about him and his artwork, what questions would you ask if you had
the opportunity to interview him?
Identify at least five solid, evidence-based questions that you would
ask Posada to get more information about his life and career.
