Day of the Dead Picture Book

Halloween and Mexico's Day of the Dead are not the same thing. First of all, today is Halloween, but tomorrow -- November 1 -- is Day of the Dead.

Secondly, while Halloween seems to be all about scaring yourself silly and hoarding candy, the Day of the Dead is about peacefully welcoming back the departed souls of your loved ones and spending time remembering your good times together even though you're now separated by death.

This picture book, Calavera Abecedario: A Day of the Dead Alphabet Book, by Jeanette Winter, can help teach those differences.

It's an alphabet book with a cultural twist: Each letter of the alphabet depicts a skeleton all dolled-up for a Mexican Day of the Dead celebration.

The words associated with each letter are in Spanish, but the illustrations and glossary at the end make it easy to understand what all the words mean.

The happy skeletons offer a perfect opportunity to discuss the differences between Halloween and Day of the Dead and illustrate that even though skeletons are part of the Mexican holiday, they are about celebration and not fear.

And the pictures also show that both holidays are about sweet things to eat.

While the alphabet format suggests a younger audience, the book’s cultural element means it could be used with older students, too.