Review by Ariadna Sánchez
Let’s celebrate together with Los Gatos Black on Halloween written by Marisa Montes and gorgeously illustrated by Yuyi Morales. Montes’s vivid narrative has the power to delineate the beauty of Latin American culture page by page. The fusion of Spanish words in the story creates a smooth seasonal spirit. It’s like an invitation to a wonderful journey of pleasant emotions.Everything is ready to rock under the full bright moon! Surrounded by spooky sounds, the pumpkins, mummies, wolfman, zombies, los gatos black, las brujas on their broomsticks, los muertos crawling out of their coffins, and los esqueletos with their white shiny bones arrive one by one to the colorful haunted mansion. The party is perfect until a loud rasp at the door. This unexpected twist gives the monsters a terrible problem. Monsters are scared of niños especially on Halloween night. What will happen next? A complementary glossary is available at the end of the book. Delightful pictures by Morales are the perfect complement for this breathtaking and mysterious story. BOO!
Visit your local library for more eerie and creepy tales. Reading gives you wings!
Enjoy the read-along Los Gatos Black on Halloween video:
* * *
Los Monstruos: Halloween Song in Spanish
by Music With Sara
From Struve and Laporte Obituaries
Marisa Montes, 59, of Walnut Creek, CA, passed August 18, 2011. She was born in San Juan Puerto Rico on November 5, 1951. She died at UCSF Medical Center during a routine procedure.
Marisa was writer with a passion for Children's Book. Her publications included novels, picture books, and a Scholastic Series. She won many awards for her publications. The details can be found at her web site,
www.marisamontes.com. At the time of her death, she was working on compiling an anthology of stories by Latina women about pivotal moments in girl's lives.
She was a member of SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) and a member of the California Bar.
She was preceded in death by her brother Ruben E. Montes, Jr., M.D.
She is survived by her parents, Ruben and Maria Montes of Salinas, Ca; her husband, David Plotkin of Walnut Creek, CA; her sister, Marisol Ortiz of Victoria, Texas; as well as many aunts, uncles and cousins.
Her strength and passion for life, despite many physical disabilities, is remembered by all who knew her, including friends from across the globe. That passion translated into a zest for travel, and she and David cruised as often as possible, exploring the far corners of the world. That world will be the poorer without her.
La Bloga prepared this list of her wonderful work.
Juan Bobo Goes To Work. Illustrated by Joe Cepeda.
What can you do with a boy who tries to do things right but only leaves disaster in his wake?
Laugh—that's what! Readers everywhere will love to laugh at the hilarious antics of the ever-blundering Juan Bobo, Puerto Rico's most celebrated folk character.
In this rollicking Juan Bobo tale, our hero sets out to find work at the farm and the grocery. Although the tasks are simple and the directions couldn't be clearer, he always finds a way to bungle things up as only a character whose name means "Simple John" could!
Egg-Napped! Illustrated by Marsha Winborn
Gabbler and his wife couldn't be happier. They've just had their first egg! But during the celebrations, the Egg quietly tips, totters, and tumbles away -- and everyone thinks it's been egg-napped.
Come join this hilarious romp through the forest as the Gabblers and their friends search high and low for the beloved Egg. Young readers will be surprised and delighted from beginning to end as this wild goose egg chase unfolds.
By:
Aline Pereira,
on 11/6/2008
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In 1995 the Texas State University College of Education honored distinguished alumnus Dr. Tomas Rivera, by developing the Tomas Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award. This award honors authors and illustrators who create literature that depicts the Mexican American experience. It helps keep alive Dr. Rivera’s legacy in literature and works towards sustaining the vision he saw for the education of Mexican Americans in the United States. In addition it raises conscious awareness among parents, teachers, and librarians of this distinguished literature so these books can inspire, entertain, and educate all children both at home and at school.
The 2008 winner of the award is Los Gatos Black on Halloween by Marisa Montes and illustrated by Yuyi Morales. Written for children in grades K -5, Montes weaves Spanish words into the rhyming text and tells the story of black cats, witches, skeletons and other spooky creatures that march to a haunted casa on Halloween night. Once there the creatures enjoy a fiesta with music and dancing until there is a “RAP! RAP! RAP!” at the door. This causes the frightened spooks to hide, for “The thing that monsters most abhor/Are human niños at the door! Of all the horrors they have seen/ The WORST are kids on Halloween!”
Marisa and Yuyi were kept busy last week with Tomas Rivera Book Award ceremonies and book signings! On Thursday, October 30th, they were honored at a special luncheon held at the university president’s home where they received their award prize and plaque. Later in the day, accompanied by a mariachi band, they attended the Author/Illustrator Presentation on campus.
The next day, as part of the Texas Book Festival Reading Rock Stars Program, the Tomás Rivera Committee selected a public school in Austin and bought every student a copy of Los Gatos Black on Halloween with the award seal on the cover. Yuyi and Marisa did a presentation at the school and the students were thrilled to get their books signed.
The whirlwind weekend of festivities continued on Nov 1st, when Montes and Morales participated in the Texas Book Festival by giving the Tomás Rivera Award reading session and then signing books for festival attendees. Click here to watch it on Youtube !
PaperTigers will continue to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month until mid November.
You cannot even imagine how helpful your article has been to me! Thanks a lot!
qepd
Wow, what a surprise! I met Marisa while I was editor of the REFORMA Newsletter. She was in a wheelchair with limited use of her hands and I was impressed at how she carried on, regardless. A great writer, que en paz descanse.