Illustrations copyright 2006 by Yuyi Morales
From The New York Times (10/22/2006):
Halloween — with its emphasis on malevolent creatures, vandalism, death and
refined sugar — is a holiday particularly unsuitable to children. Children,
therefore, celebrate it with gusto, keeping its particular traditions somewhat
below the radar of parental approval and the forces of commercialization. Apart
from a few devotees of wicca, nobody is pushing to put the hallow back in
Halloween, and the festival is happily welcoming of a wide variety of cultural
customs, the mark of a living folk tradition. . . .
A curious black kitten leads the way in “Los Gatos Black on Halloween” by Marisa
Montes, with cheerfully grotesque illustrations by Yuyi Morales. In this rhyming
bilingual romp we check in on las brujas (witches), los esqueletos (skeletons)
and los fantasmas (ghosts) as they get duded up for a party.
Everything between these covers is dancing. The rhymes, rich in verbs, are fresh
and surprising. “Las brujas boogie, muertos bop, los esqueletos do the hop. The
ghosts in their transparent waltz glide through the wolfman’s somersaults.”
Everybody and every non-body, from phantom to zombie, kicks up his heels. The
text meanders across the page, fitting itself around the shenanigans of fat
witches, natty vampires and elegant corpses. The traditions of Dia de los
Muertos meet those of contemporary Halloween as the monster ball is crashed by —
oh horror— “human niños at the door.” Little trick-or-treaters send the monsters
running. A glossary with a pronunciation guide will give confidence to
non-Spanish-speaking adults reading aloud. . . .
In “Los Gatos Black on Halloween” a headstone bears the name of Cantinflas, the
Mexican Charlie Chaplin. . . What these three stories give us, beyond a laugh
and a shiver on Halloween, is folk tale optimism. With community, ritual and
disguise, the little guys can prevail. Unhappy with the status quo? Grab a
friend and put on the face paint.
Sarah Ellis is a Vancouver librarian and writer for children. Her latest book is
“The Queen’s Feet,” illustrated by Dusan Petricic.