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Andrea Galbusieri
Non-Storytime Program
Due Date: 27 October 2017
The submission confirmation number is bfd23e68-2df7-454c-8c28-c2212acdc2a0.

Día de los Muertos / Day of the Dead Celebration

This program is an all-day event to celebrate the Mexican holiday of Día de los Muertos. It
includes entertainment, activities, and education for all ages and all ethnicities. The library is
partnering with the local Spanish Community Center, and the event is sponsored by the United
Way and the Friends of the Library. Throughout the day, events and activities are offered, such
as dance performances, movies, guest speakers, and craft stations.
The activities are roughly divided by age, but the boundaries are fluent, and attendees can
participate in any activities they choose. Small children, however, must be accompanied at all
times by an adult or young adult of at least 15 years of age.

General:
The library will create the foundation of an altar in the exhibition room. All participants are
encouraged to bring offerings/ofrendas such as flowers and photos or mementos of their loved
ones to decorate the altar. Throughout the day, we will be creating additional ofrendas to place
on the altar which will become a temporary exhibition during the following week. Photos and
mementos will be returned when the exhibition closes.
Sources: Escondido Public Library celebrates Día de los Muertos. (2017, October 4). Escondido
Public Library. Retrieved from https://library.escondido.org/escondido-public-library-
celebrates-d%C3%ADa-de-los-muertos-1.aspx
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A Latin-American dance group will be performing traditional dances such as La Danza de los
Viejitos/The dance of the little old men and La Danza de los Tecuanes/The dance of the tigers at
certain times throughout the day.
The Spanish Community Center will provide Pan de Muertos, sweet rolls that are traditionally
baked around Día de los Muertos, as well as bottled water.
Source: Theater of the Dead. (n.d.) Smithsonian Latino Center. Retrieved from
http://latino.si.edu/dayofthedead/

Children:
Reading:
Throughout the day, bilingual presenters will read children’s books by Hispanic authors and
illustrators about Día de los Muertos and calaveras.
Barner, B. (2010). The day of the dead / El día de los Muertos. New York: Holiday House.
Bracegirdle, P. J. (2012). The dead family Diaz. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers.
Montes, M. (2006) Los gatos black on Halloween. New York: Henry Holt.
Morales, Y. (2003). Just a minute: a trickster tale and counting book. San Francisco,
CA: Chronicle Books, LLC.
Morales, Y. (2008). Just in case: A trickster tale and Spanish alphabet book. New
York, NY: Roaring Book Press.
Thong, R. G. (2015). Día de los muertos. Chicago: Albert Whitman.
Tonatiuh, D. (2015). Funny bones: Posada and his day of the dead calaveras. New York: Abrams
Books for Young Readers.
Weill, C. (2013). Mi familia calaca / My skeleton family. El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos Press.
Winter, J. (2004). Calavera abecedario: A day of the dead alphabet book. Orlando, FL: Harcourt.
Copies are also available for checkout.

Source: Naidoo, J. C., & Scherrer, K. (2016). Once upon a cuento: Bilingual storytimes in English
and Spanish. Chicago, IL: American Library Association.
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Crafts:
In the children’s room, we will also have several craft tables where
children create:
1. Paper Marigolds (Cempasuchitl)
Material needed:
 Yellow and orange tissue paper
 Green pipe cleaners
 Scissors

2. Sugar Skulls / Calaveritas de azucar

Material needed:
 Large mixing bowls
 Granulated sugar
 Meringue powder
 Water
 Plastic skull molds
 Cardboard
 Decorations like beads, sequins, etc.
Children are welcome to decorate the altar in the exhibition room with their creations.
Source for both: Source: Theater of the Dead. (n.d.) Smithsonian Latino Center. Retrieved from
http://latino.si.edu/dayofthedead/

Movie: The Book of Life (PG)

Co-written and directed by Jorge R. Gutierrez. Manolo, a young man who is torn between
fulfilling the expectations of his family and following his heart, embarks on an adventure that
spans three fantastic worlds where he must face his greatest fears.
Source: Library Event Calendar: Día de los Muertos Celebration. (n.d.) Pflugerville Public Library.
Retrieved from http://library.pflugervilletx.gov/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/5451/843

Young adults:
Crafts:
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Mask Making
In another area of the library, we set up three different stations for mask making. This is geared
towards teenagers, but adults are welcome as well. At the first station, participants apply wet
plaster strips to plastic masks covered with petroleum jelly. The second station consists of hair
dryers to be used for drying the plaster, and the third station is reserved for painting and
decorating the dried plaster masks.
Material needed:

 Petroleum jelly
 Plaster strips
 Plastic Masks
 Hair dryers
 Paint, paintbrushes
 Beads, sequins, etc. for decorating

At the end of the day, the teen advisory council will vote for the most original mask.
Participants may choose to include their masks in the altar exhibit.
Source: Clement, H. W. (2014). Celebrating Día de los Muertos at the library. California Library
Association Youth Services Interest Group. Retrieved from http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.cla-
net.org/resource/resmgr/imported/Briefings-Winter2013-2014.pdf

Books:
Copies of books are on display and for checkout that not only positively reflect Hispanic culture,
but also show the reality of young Hispanics’ struggle in a bicultural world. Among them is this
small selection:
 Alvarez, J. (2009). Return to Sender. New York: Knopf Books for Young Readers.
Culture: Mexican American
Other themes: Immigration

 Cervantes, J. (2010). Tortilla Sun. San Francisco: Chronicle Books.

Culture: Mexican American, Biracial/Bicultural
Other themes: Family problems

 Ferrer, B. C. (2010). When the stars go blue. New York: St. Martin’s Press.
Culture: Cuban American
Other themes: Dance, Performance

 Hijuelos, O. (2009). Dark Dude. New York: Atheneum Books.

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Culture: Cuban American

Other themes: Friendship, Life Experience

 Miller-Lachmann, L. (2009). Gringolandia. Evanston, IL: Curbstone Books.

Culture: Chilean American
Other themes: Political unrest
Source: Ramos-McDermott, A., & Miller-Lachmann, L. (n.d.). Teen Latino Titles. REFORMA.
Retrieved from http://www.reforma.org/teen_titles

Adults:
Presentations:
At designated times throughout the day, a guest speaker from the Spanish Community Center
gives a talk about the origins of Día de los Muertos which date back to the rich and complex
heritage of a region that once included Mayan and Aztec cultures. The beliefs of today's
Mexicans are based on the blended cultures of their indigenous ancestors, the Aztecs and the
Mayas, and layered with the Catholicism of the Spanish invaders.

Sources:

King, Judy. (n.d.). Los Dias de los Muertos (the Days of the Dead). Mexconnect. Retrieved from
http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/1427-los-dias-de-los-muertos-the-days-of-the-dead
accessed through Spanish in our Libraries (SOL), Issue 39, October 15, 2000.
Theater of the Dead. (n.d.) Smithsonian Latino Center. Retrieved from
http://latino.si.edu/dayofthedead/

How this Program Includes and Positively Portrays Latino Culture

This program celebrates an important Mexican holiday that is known throughout the world. The
activities and events centered on traditional features of the holiday validate aspects of their
cultural heritage for Mexican-Americans and introduce non-Hispanics to Mexican cultural life.
Books displayed for checkout are written and/or illustrated by Latino authors and either
positively reflect Hispanic cultures or depict the struggles facing Latin-American immigrants.
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