Module 5: Los Gatos Black on Halloween

Book Summary

Los Gatos Black on Halloween is a picture book written by Marisa Montes and illustrated by Yuyi Morales, and it won the Pura Belpré Award for its illustrations. This book is unique because it is mostly in English, but there are Spanish words sprinkled throughout the text, with one to three Spanish words on each page. The story takes place on Halloween and describes various creatures that are out for the night, including cats (los gatos), pumpkins (las calabazas), skeletons (los esqueletos), and the mummy (la momia). All of the creatures come together to form an eerie parade that leads to a haunted mansion, where the creatures throw a monstrous party filled with music and dancing. Suddenly, however, the party is interrupted by three (tres) loud knocks on the door (la puerta). It turns out to be children who are trick or treating, which is a horrifying sight to these monsters on Halloween!

APA Reference of Book

Montes, M. (2006). Los gatos black on Halloween. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company.

Impressions

I really enjoyed reading this simple, bilingual story about Halloween. The text was playful, unique, and engaging with the inclusion of rhyme and Spanish words. The Spanish words were italicized throughout the story, which was helpful so that children can easily identify which words are in Spanish. Some of the Spanish words may go over children’s heads, particularly younger children below 2^nd grade, but there are many clues provided in the text and in the illustrations to allow readers to figure out the meaning of the foreign words. For instance, on the first page it says, “Los gatos black with eyes of green, Cats slink and creep on Halloween.” This is pretty clear that los gatos means cats because the text repeats the word in English in the second line, and the illustration on the accompanying page shows cats. The only odd thing I noticed about this particular illustration was that the cats do not seem to have green eyes, so the picture does not completely correspond with the description in the text. On the second page, it says, “Las calabazas, fat and round, Carved pumpkins guard a hallowed ground.” Again, I think most kids could figure out that las calabazas means pumpkins because of the description provided of “fat and round,” the inclusion of the English word in the second line, and the illustration on the page that features big, round pumpkins. As a result, I think the author did a fantastic job of weaving her text together in such a way that it has a pleasing, rhyming sound and a sense of musicality; it effectively teaches readers the meaning of Spanish words; it includes concise yet descriptive details of the setting and the creatures; and it tells a simple, but interesting, story with a funny twist at the end. In addition, this book could be read by an adult to a younger child, and the adult can assist with explaining the Spanish words if the child did not understand. There is also a helpful glossary at the end of the book that alphabetizes all of the Spanish words used in the story, defines them, and provides the pronunciation, which I thought was a very nice touch.

I think this book was enjoyable also because of the award-winning illustrations that are ideal for a juvenile audience—they are both creepy and playful, and they are wonderfully appropriate for a Halloween book. The use of dark colors reinforces the setting of a dark, eerie, Halloween night and effectively matches the mood of the story. When lighter colors are utilized, though, they almost appear to glow, which is a great contrast to the predominantly-used dark colors. The moon appears throughout the pages of this book, and the illustrator, Yuyi Morales, did a great job of making the light appear to radiate from the moon. The texture of the illustrations was also unique and intriguing—the reader can see the paintbrush streaks across the page, which works well to reinforce the smooth, creeping, crawling creatures that are in the pictures and described in the text. Furthermore, the illustrations are not too scary or creepy for a juvenile audience; the creatures are eerie, but they also often smile and appear playful, especially once they get to the party at the mansion. Things like a witch that appears to be standing and surfing on her broomsticks, a zombie with a yellow smiley face on his shirt, and a vampire primping and smiling at himself in the mirror will likely make children laugh and enjoy this story even more while also get them in the spirit of Halloween.

 The illustrations also accurately portray the details of the story provided in the text (aside from the one instance I noticed on the first page where the cats do not actually have green eyes). Sometimes, the illustrations also add additional details that would be entertaining for readers and that would encourage readers to spend more time on the page to observe the details of the pictures. For instance, on page 12, the vampire is looking at himself in the mirror as he is combing his hair, but readers may notice that there is no reflection of the vampire in the mirror, just the comb and his clothes. Overall, this book provided a very positive reading experience for me as an adult, and I think it has a lot to offer to children as well with its successful combination of creepiness and humor, especially with the surprising and satisfying ending.

Professional Review

According to a review on the website for Kirkus Reviews (2006):

Montes’s vivid poem, replete with the appropriate creepiness, describes all of the usual—and some not-so-usual—Halloween suspects. Under the full moon, los gatos slink, yowl and hiss. Las brujas fly on their brooms. Los esqueletos rattle their bones. Pumpkins burn, mummies stalk, the wolfman prowls, the dead rise and ghouls and zombies march across the pages, all parading toward a haunted mansion for a monstrous ball. Eerie music resonates throughout the night, and all of the creatures begin to waltz, boogie and bop—until tres loud raps (“Rap! Rap! Rap!”) sound at the door. Who could it be? Not children trick-or-treating! Suddenly the creatures vanish. Nothing scares a monster more than human niños, particularly on Halloween. Spanish words, perfectly defined by context, flow smoothly throughout the atmospheric, rhymed text and are officially defined in an accessible glossary at the story’s end. Morales’s dark, glowing pictures of inventively proportioned ghosts and other sinister night creatures provide the ideal accompaniment. A spooky seasonal treat and a great choice for any collection. (para. 1)

According to a review on the website for Publishers Weekly (2006):

Halloween and the Day of the Dead overlap in this atmospheric, bilingual romp. Montes (Juan Bobo Goes to Work ) composes serviceable stanzas, using English and Spanish words as synonyms: "Los gatos black with eyes of green,/ Cats slink and creep on Halloween." This dual-language approach can be redundant ("At medianoche midnight strikes..."), yet Morales (Harvesting Hope ) holds readers' attention with surreal, faintly macabre spreads in dim turquoise and clay-brown hues, illuminated by fuschia and flame orange. Witches fly broomsticks like skateboard whizzes, a headstone references Mexican comic Cantinflas and sallow-faced muertos dance until children arrive: "The thing that monsters most abhor/ Are human niños at the door!" (para. 1)

Library Uses

This book could be utilized in multiple ways. It seems that this book would be great for a bilingual storytime for kids in kindergarten through 2^nd or 3^rd grade, particularly around Halloween. A librarian or teacher can read the story to the class and occasionally point out the Spanish words in the text to explain what they mean (while not disrupting the rhyme and the flow of the story too much). This story could also be utilized in a Spanish immersion class or just a class where the students are learning Spanish. The children can read the book and use the Spanish words in the story for vocabulary words for that week. The glossary in the back of the book can be utilized by the teacher to write the words and their definitions on a large white board for the students. This story could even be utilized in a classroom or school library setting to introduce a unit on poetry, using the story as an example of end rhyme.

This book could also be used in a public library setting during a Halloween program. A short storytelling activity could take place during the program, and this book would be a great story to include since it is appropriate for the entire family, but it still effectively portrays the eerie mood of Halloween.

References

[Review of the book Los gatos black on Halloween, by M. Montes]. (2006, April 15).  

          Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from www.kirkusreviews.com

[Review of the book Los gatos black on Halloween, by M. Montes]. (2006, August 14).  

          Publishers Weekly. Retrieved from www.publishersweekly.com