Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras

A terrific, illustrated biography of José Guadalupe Posada, 19th & 20th century Mexican printmaker, whose work and its impact are given rich treatment. Author-illustrator Tonatiuh combines his own distinctive illustrations with those of Posada, asking philosophical questions ("Was he [Posada] saying that we can try to go faster but one day we will all reach the same finish line and become calaveras?") provoked by Posada's images. While the biography itself is accessible and engaging, and the lively depictions of Dia de Los Muertos informative, the back matter (Author's Note, Glossary, Bibliography, list of Places to See Posada's work in the U.S, & index) shines, making this sturdy biography an excellent work of non-fiction for kids, show more libraries, & classrooms. I especially like the elusive author photo on the back flap! show less

Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada was a political cartoonist who used lithography, engraving, and etching, to publish his work in newspapers and as broadsides. It is his broadsides of calaveras—humorous graphics of skeletons acting as if they were living and playing, singing, wearing clothes, riding bicycles, and sweeping the streets—that have been widely reproduced for Día de los Muertos celebrations. His calaveras also influenced artists Diego Rivera and Jose Clemente Orozco.

Tonatiuh’s pictorial biography mixes Posada’s distinctive calaveras with Tonatiuh’s own distinctive flat drawings of people whose faces are always shown in profile. There are also two calaveras of Posada’s predecessor Manuel Manilla included in show more an illustration. Tonatiuh has colored these collages of his own and the earlier artists’ work to produce a vibrant humorously bright picture book that’s appended with an informative author’s note, bibliography, glossary and index. Throughout the book the author challenges his young readers to reflect on the meaning of the art. Is it social commentary, memento mori, or perhaps a bit of both? show less

Fascinating short biography, exploration of the origins of Day of the Dead imagery and printmaking. It's a pretty heady combination, and the extremely cool illustrations add a lot to the experience. I do think it's an over simplification to attribute all printed calavera-like imagery to Posada, given both Holbein and Duhrer's dance of death woodcuts, but it's very interesting that the popularity of them can be dated to him.

Mexican expatriate author and artist Duncan Tonatiuh, whose picture-books include folkloric retellings such as The Princess and the Warrior: A Tale of Two Volcanoes, and biographies such as Danza!: Amalia Hernández and El Ballet Folklórico de México, turns in this informative and beautiful book to the story of José Guadalupe (Lupe) Posada. Born in 1852 in Aguascalientes, Mexico, Posada would grow up to become a printer, engraver and political cartoonist. Although some experts think he may have produced 20,000 images in his long career, he is best remembered for his calaveras - his illustrations using skeletons. These offered social and political commentary, and some of them became iconic images associated with Mexico's Day of the show more Dead celebrations. Tonatiuh discusses Posada's life, explains the various artistic processes he used - engraving, etching, lithography - and concludes with an extensive afterword giving more information...

Tonatiuh continually makes the point, in Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras, that Posada's art is better known than Posada himself, and that is certainly true in my case! I didn't think, picking up the book, that I had ever encountered Posada before. I don't celebrate Day of the Dead, and am not particularly familiar with the artwork associated with it. Imagine my surprise then, when reading this book, to discover Posada's calavera of Madero, a work known as The Calavera Maderista:



This is an image I know well, as it appeared on the copy of The Milagro Beanfield War that I read and reread, as a young adolescent. This discovery was a welcome surprise for me, and I am glad to know a little bit more about the artist who created this work. Leaving that aside, I found the narrative here engaging and informative, and greatly appreciated the discussion of the different artistic methods used by Posada. I also appreciated that the illustrations here incorporated some of Posada's work, together with Tonatiuh's own paintings. Recommended to young art lovers, and to children who are curious about some of the Day of the Dead traditions they may have encountered. show less

A terrific, illustrated biography of José Guadalupe Posada, 19th & 20th century Mexican printmaker, whose work and its impact are given rich treatment. Author-illustrator Tonatiuh combines his own distinctive illustrations with those of Posada, asking philosophical questions ("Was he [Posada] saying that we can try to go faster but one day we will all reach the same finish line and become calaveras?") provoked by Posada's images. While the biography itself is accessible and engaging, and the lively depictions of Dia de Los Muertos informative, the back matter (Author's Note, Glossary, Bibliography, list of Places to See Posada's work in the U.S, & index) shines, making this sturdy biography an excellent work of non-fiction for kids, show more libraries, & classrooms. I especially like the elusive author photo on the back flap! show less

Summary: A nonfictional account of Mexican "Day of the Dead" traditions involving bone art. Largely a biography of "Don Lupe" Posada, a printer and artist who did memorable Day of the Dead mass communication art.

Personal Reflection: Another book by Duncan Tonatiuh, featuring his characteristic "cartoony" version of ancient Mesoamerican artistic style. Tonatiuh's art is excellent and evocative. The prose and storytelling is less so. It is interesting, but conventional and academic. At times it is expressly student/teacher focused and includes questions within the narrative that are intended for a student reader. Not sure this works particularly well though.

Calaveras, which are skeletons that are often depicted in a humorous way, are a Day of the Dead tradition. Jose Lupe Posada is credited with the popularity of these figures. Posada's introduction into printmaking and his work's rise to popularity is shared. Posada, or Don Lupe as people began to call him, started drawing calaveras and short poems for the Day of the Dead. Some of the prints made fun of political figures. The reader is given the chance to analyze some of Posada's calavera prints to think about what he was trying to say. Tonatiuh's book allows us to learn more about the Day of the Dead tradition of calaveras and the man who popularized these prints.