In a pre-Mexico indigenous village, Mama Alma talks to Bella about how she's growing old. They share memories and plan how Bella can remember the grandmother when she's gone. The book is text-heavy, a fault visually magnified by the accompanying Spanish translations; while stiff, the illustrations contribute setting details. A valuable author's note discusses the now-"misunderstood" tradition of the Day of the Dead. (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

There is no shortage of books about el Dia de los Muertos, but Mora brings the concept to a deeply personal level in this bilingual story that imagines the holiday's origins. Set long ago in a small village in Mexico, the story shows how Bella and her grandmother share a bond that transcends time. Together, they work in the fields, grow flowers, weave cloth, and play hide-and-seek. But, mostly, they talk. The gentle tone of their conversation is mirrored in the stillness of the illustrations. As Bella and Mamá Alma recall their life together, there is a hint of sadness and a premonition about what's to come. On their last day together, Mamá Alma tells Bella to teach people about remembering others. Of course, Bella does so, starting a tradition of dedicating a day to remembering loved ones no longer present. Casilla's gentle, earth-toned paintings bring Bella's world to life with remarkable realism.--Chaudhri, Amina Copyright 2015 Booklist

In a tender story, Mora imagines the origins of el Día de los Muertos in a village in "the land now called Mexico." An aging grandmother and her granddaughter work in a garden, reminiscing about their time together. Explaining how "our bodies do not live forever," Mamá Alma urges Bella to plan a "remembering day" each autumn, to honor her and other loved ones. Months later, on the night Mamá Alma dies, Bella sees "una pequeña luz," "a tiny light," dart out into the night and is comforted; the next year, she and her family have their first "remembering day." Casilla sets the story against a lush landscape of green hills and thatched huts; his softly glowing portraits of grandmother and grandchild speak to the holiday's quieter and more contemplative aspects. Ages 5-8. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Mora worries that the Mexican tradition of honoring their dead on the Da de los Muertos may be misunderstood and become commercialized, so, the author offers this imagined story of how a "remembering day" to honor loved ones now dead might have started in the distant past. Long, long ago, in a time before Spanish was spoken in Mexico, Bella and her family live in a small village in a home made of clay and reeds. Bella and her grandmother Mam Alma are very close. They work in the garden growing flowers and vegetables, and they play and cook together. Mam Alma has also taught Bella to weave on the loom, cure a sick bird, and recognize different medicinal herbs. Now, as Mam Alma ages, she wants Bella to know that though human bodies do not live forever, if Bella plans a day when family and friends come together to remember the people they loved, the dead will remain alive in their memories. The realistic style and warm colors of the illustrations bring to life the loving relationship between Bella and her grandmother. Unfortunately, though it has been gracefully translated into Spanish by Baeza Ventura, the bilingual format makes for very text-heavy pages. Readers might choose this book thinking they will find out more about this well-known Mexican tradition; instead, they will find a warm family story. (author's note) (Bilingual picture book. 5-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.