Review of LOS GATOS BLACK ON HALLOWEEN

Montes, Marisa. Yuyi Morales. (Ill.) 2007. LOS GATOS BLACK ON HALLOWEEN. New York: Henry Holt and Co. ISBN 0-8050-7429-5

Summary
Los Gatos Black on Halloween is a mingling of Mexican and US cultures through language, customs, and illustrations. In the course of this story, the reader meets a variety of ghoulish characters as they make their way to a late night soiree. (Three guesses which night it is!) This picture book poem intersperses Spanish terms throughout without impairing non-Spanish speakers’ understanding or enjoyment. Author Marisa Montes uses colorful adjectives and verbs which describe elements of both Halloween and the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead—Spanish translation: Día de los Muertos. Further evidence of this cultural coupling are the award-winning illustrations. Some are reminiscent of Día de los Muertos images portraying well-dressed skeletons with large, black eyes. Others include jack-o-lanterns and a glowing haunted house. This book, which is an odd combination of both whimsy and eeriness, is highly recommended for ages 4-9.

Analysis
Montes and illustrator, Yuyi Morales, collaborated to create a story which reflects both US as well as Mexican cultures. Through the use of interlingualism (code-switching), Montes introduces Spanish vocabulary within a predominantly English text. The mixture of the cultures goes beyond the mixing of languages. While the title of the story clearly states its topic as Halloween, the story includes hints of the Mexican holiday Día de los Muertos. This allusion is heightened through illustrations of skeletons wearing traditional Mexican dresses and sarapes.

As a poem picture book, this piece excels in its symbiotic relationship between text and illustrations. The text is rhyming and light. The lines wave across the pages adding to the playfulness of the poem. This is in contrast to the illustrations which use muted colors, sharp teeth and glowing eyes. Though phrases such as ‘shriek their pains’ and ‘loan loon mocks’ allude to the eeriness, it is the combination of illustrations and text which shapes the reader’s mood. For readers who love creepy pictures, this book, with its sing-song cadence, is an entertaining read any time of year.

Connections
Other books by Montes:
Juan Bobo Goes to Work
A Circle of Time

Other bilingual poem picture books:
Delicious Hullabaloo=Pachanga Deliciosa by Pat Mora
Iguanas in the Snow y Otros Poems de Invierno=Iguanas en la Nieve and Other Winter Poems by Francisco X. Alarcon