Best Bilingual Day of the Dead Books for Children
Discover the perfect reads for young minds with my personally curated list of children’s books about Day of the Dead. I read these books to my kids every year as Día de Muertos approaches. We absolutely love the moving stories and vibrant illustrations in each book.
I have been reading to Amado since he was in my womb. Now, my husband and I take every opportunity to read with our three children and many of our books highlight each of our unique cultural backgrounds. Today I’d like to share a few of our favorite Day of the Dead books that can introduce children to the beautiful traditions associated with Día de los Muertos, which is a holiday that I hold near and dear to my heart.
The kids and I work on Day of the Dead decorations every fall and their little eyes light up every time we add something new to our altar. I love how working on our ofrenda helps us bond as we maintain beautiful cultural traditions within our family and home in the United States. We also take time to read our favorite Day of the Dead books, many of which I have included in this list. I hope that you find one that you love and can read over and over with your children. I’d also appreciate it if you shared some of your favorites that aren’t on this list.
BEST BILINGUAL DAY OF THE DEAD BOOKS FOR CHILDREN
I REMEMBER ABUELITO: A DAY OF THE DEAD STORY
Janice Levy and Loretta Lopez
In this bilingual book, a young girl helps her family prepare to honor her abuelito who recently died. Together with her mother, they visit the mercado, buy pan de muerto, make calaveras de azucar, build an altar, and reminisce about days long past with abuelito. He eventually returns in the form of a monarch butterfly. This book is near and dear to my heart because every year my altar is dedicated to my father, and I always want Amado to remember his abuelito.
ROSITA Y CONCHITA
Eric Gonzalez and Erich Haeger
Rosita y Conchita is a bilingual book that is adorably sweet and heart wrenching at the same time. Conchita prepares to celebrate the life of her dearly departed twin sister, Rosita, by setting up a memorial altar for her on Day of the Dead. She prepares her sister’s favorite foods (chocolate chip enchiladas), plays her favorite song, and even sets out Rosita’s favorite doll in the hopes of luring her back, if only for one evening. I absolutely love the illustrations in this book – the street scenes take me back to Mexico – and the way it rhymes perfectly in English and Spanish!
JUST A MINUTE: A TRICKSTER TAKE AND COUNTING BOOK
Yuyi Morales
This colorful tribute to the rich traditions of Mexican culture uses both Spanish and English words to introduce the concept of counting as well as death. Señor Calavera arrives unexpectedly at Grandma Beetle’s door and requests that she leave with him right away. Grandma Beetle has too much to do – she has one house to sweep, two pots of tea to boil, three pounds of corn to make into tortillas – and that’s just the beginning! Just a Minute is perfect even for non-Spanish speakers as it is primarily in English.
OUR DAY OF THE DEAD CELEBRATION
ANA ARANDA
Through colorful illustrations and heartwarming storytelling, kids learn about altars, marigolds, and celebrating family members who’ve passed, fostering an understanding of Mexican culture and family connection. This grandma in this book reminded me of my mom and all of the stories she tries to pass on to her grandchildren.
CELEBRATE DAY OF THE DEAD!
DIANE DE ANDA
Celebrate Day of the Dead! is a hit with my little ones! It beautifully explains Día de Muertos with colorful illustrations and simple, heartfelt stories. My kids loved learning more about ofrendas, sugar skulls, and marigolds. It’s the perfect intro book to teach kids about our traditions!
THE OFRENDA THAT WE BUILT
Jolene Gutiérrez
The Ofrenda That We Built is such a beautiful and heartfelt book! My kids loved seeing how the family in the story created their ofrenda for Day of the Dead celebrations, just like we do at home. We especially liked the vibrant illustrations and the way it explains honoring our loved ones in a simple, kid-friendly way. It really captured the joy of tradition and made my little ones feel proud of their heritage!
MI OFRENDA
MARIANA GALVEZ
My two-year-old and six-year-old really enjoyed the Mi Ofrenda book! Through this adorable search-and-find book, they learned about the significance of the various items we place on our altar. I love that this book allowed for interaction, while teaching about altars and Day of the Dead.
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS, DAY OF THE DEAD CHILDREN’S FINGER PUPPET BOARD BOOK
ROSIE PAJARO
The is another one of our favorite pictures books. The adorable finger puppet kept my toddler engaged and excited to count the different colorful and festive images.
HUESOS
LUIS SAN VICENTE
Huesos by Luis San Vicente is a fun, colorful book my kids loved! Huesos, the dog, is as travieso as they come, and he is just as mischievous in the afterworld. I love how this book demonstrates the power to be reunited on Day of the Dead, with our loved ones who have passed.
THE DAY OF THE DEAD ON SESAME STREET
RANDOM HOUSE
My toddler loved learning about Day of the Dead through some of his favorite Sesame Street characters. In this fun read, Rosita explains Día de Muertos to her amigos, Elmo and Abby, by showing them the colorful ofrenda that she has built to honor loved ones who are no longer here.
I’d love to hear about any other of your favorites to add to this list of Day of the Dead books for kids!
If you’re interested in more ways to connect with you little ones, be sure to check out my blog post Cooking with Kids: 5 Ways to Build Confidence in the Cocina.
WHERE TO BUY BILINGUAL CHILDREN’S BOOKS
LOOKING FOR MORE INSPIRATION?
- 80+ Best Day of the Dead Food and Drink Recipes
- 3 Day of the Dead Altars to Die For
- 3 Foods Associated with Day of the Dead
- 10 Creative Crafts for Day of the Dead
- Day of the Dead: A Celebration of Life!
- Day of the Dead Altar: Honoring Departed Loved Ones
- Day of the Dead Sugar Skull Decorating Party
- How to Make a Día de los Muertos Altar
- How to Make Calaveras de Azucar
- How to Throw a Día de los Muertos Fiesta
This blog post was originally published on October 20, 2016 and updated with more books and photos on October 23, 2024.
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Lola Wiarco Dweck
Lola is a Mexican-American recipe developer, writer, and cooking instructor who loves sharing her culture with the world. Growing up in California and spending summers in Mexico, Lola celebrates her family’s Mexican recipes and vibrant culture through Lola’s Cocina.
That’s so fantastic that you read to Amado all the time! I really need to get a copy of Rosita y Conchita. It sounds so cute. One of my favorite books is Maria Molina and the Days of Dead. It’s a simple story about a little girl who is remembering her brother Pablo and her abuelita. It’s in English, but it references things like pan de muertos and calaveras de azúcar.