Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras

Anyone who has been to my home knows that I display calaveras, Mexican Day-of-the-Dead skeletons that symbolically give Death the finger. In my many years collecting, I never knew the history behind these grinning, sardonic figures. Tonatiuh's latest book, Funny Bones, tells their story.

Aimed at children ages six and up, the book introduces readers to Jose Guadalupe Posada, a Mexican artist, cartoonist, and master printer who brought these ghoulish figures to the public's attention, popularizing them in the broadsides he published. Tonatiuh tells his story well,  but the most striking aspect of his book are the illustrations. In his signature flat style, Tonatiuth graphically represents Posada's life in 19th century Mexico. Sharing the limelight are some of Posada's original calaveras, which seamlessly complement Tonatiuh's art. The result is a multifaceted nonfiction work about a much neglected historical figure.

Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras
By Duncan Tonatiuh
Abrams  40 pages
Published: August 2015