A girl named Anita introduces each member of her family in a picture book with a simple, bilingual narrative. Her family members include her brothers Miguel ("He's a brat. / Él es muy travieso.") and Juanito ("He's so cute! / Él es tan lindo."), her parents, grandparents, and great-grandmother. Even the dog and cat get a nod. What makes this book stand out is the juxtaposition of the straightforward text with its whimsical illustrations. Paper-mache artist Jesás Canseco Zárate has rendered each character as a skeleton, although Anita never mentions this unusual fact about her family. A brief note at book's end explains, "In Mexico the skeleton is a beloved and humorous figure. Its origins go back to pre-Columbian times." And this is a book that will surely bring smiles, especially with the care Zárate has taken with details, such as the yellow duck on baby Juanito's romper, Anita's flowered dress, the father's natty hat, and great-grandmother's walker, to name a few. (Ages 4-7)

Welcome to the family! It's just like yours: father, mother, sister, brother, abuelita, gato, even a great-great grandmother. Well, but there's something just a little bit different about this particular family. Maybe it's those clothes they wear . . . just a little bit fashion backward. And the colors! So vibrant and . . . lively. Maybe that's what it is. They are just so full of life while looking almost other worldly.

Cynthia Weill's latest bilingual book for young readers teaches basic information about relationships, while also celebrating the colorful tradition of Mexico's Day of the Dead. Artist Jesus Canseco Zarate long-limbed sculptures are a playful twist on traditional Mexican iconography of the skeleton that stretches back through the country's art history to José Gualdalupe Posada's engravings and Aztec sculpture.

Chosen as one of the Best Children's Books Of The Year by the Children's Book Committee and by the Cooperative Children's Book Center

Cynthia Weill holds a doctorate in education from Teachers College Columbia University. She is on the board of the Friends of Oaxacan Folk Art which seeks to promote and preserve the artists and artisanal work of that Mexican state. La Familia is her fifth book featuring the folk art of Oaxaca.

Jesus Canseco Zarate is a young Oaxacan folk artist whose medium of choice is paper mâché. In 2008 he won first prize in the Friends of Oaxacan Folk Art completion for young artists.