Catrina is getting ready for the Dia de Los Muertos ball, but she can't find the right outfit to wear. She finds old, weathered skirts, a stained dress, and shoes that are too tight. But then, in the bottom of a chest, she discovers the perfect dress and accessories to match! This bilingual picture book is playfully illustrated in rich, saturated colors and filled with rhymes that are maintained in both the Spanish and English texts. For instance, "Saca una falda de tela fina / pero parece una polvorienta y vieja cortina" is translated to, "She pulls out a skirt made of the finest cloth / but it looks like an old drape eaten by moths." Incorporating high-level vocabulary, this story is well suited for those fluent in Spanish, but it's also a fun way to introduce more advanced words to beginners. An excellent addition to any Spanish bookshelf.

What to wear, what to wear?The age-old lament takes on a different nuance as Catrina la catrina, a fashionista of the skeletal sort, desperately searches through her ancient trunk for an outfit befitting her station. Catrina tosses out pinching high heels, a sangria-stained disappointment, a moth-eaten creation, and even some blue high-water palazzos. Nothing is good enough to make her stand out at the Day of the Dead ball. Missing buttons, rumpled lace, what is she to do? Finally, the cranky catrina finds just the thing! So what if a few pearls have gone astray and the sequins blink dully-Catrina has never seen a dress so divine. De Alvarado's tribute to José Guadalupe Posada's iconic catrina successfully captures the dressing-for-a-party frenzy even as readers occasionally trip over uneven rhyme schemes and awkward meters, both in her original Spanish text and the uncredited English translation."Tiene encajes torcidos y polvorientos, / enredados entre perlas finas, / lentejuelas descocidas y canutillo mullido." Similarly, "Inside the chest, there's still more to discover: / a nightmarish necklace and earrings so peculiar. / She puts them on, takes a look in the mirror / and exclaims, ‘Darn, I sure cut a fine figure.' " However, Navarro's cocky catrina steals the show. With the perfect touch of the macabre, la divina Catrina expresses consternation and delight as her frantic search for the perfect outfit progresses.Joins a growing selection for Dia storytimes. (Picture book. 4-8)

K-Gr 2 Artist and illustrator José Guadalupe Posada's famous Catrina takes center stage in this lovely bilingual picture book about Día de los Muertos. The Calavera Catrina is getting ready for the Day of the Dead festivities and searches for an outfit to wear. After trying out a stained dress, a skirt that may be a curtain, shoes that fit a little too tightly, and several other not-quite-right ensembles, Catrina finally finds a dazzling wine-colored dress that pairs perfectly with several unique pieces of jewelry and a lovely hat covered with cempasúchil flowers. Catrina illuminates the ball as she walks in the room. The cleverly rhyming text is sure to make readers smile. The English version isn't always a direct translation in order to maintain the rhyming effect, but it keeps the spirit of the original Spanish. The illustrations include richly colored backgrounds and a wide range of facial expressions as Catrina decides on each outfit, and the incorporation of important aspects of the holidaysuch as marigold flowerswill pave the way for discussions about these important celebrations. VERDICT An excellent addition to Spanish and bilingual picture book collections, as well as a wonderful tribute to the work of José Guadalupe Posada.Selenia Paz, Harris County P.L., Houston