Module 3 – Los Gatos Black on Halloween by: Marisa Montes

Module 3 – Los Gatos Black on Halloween by: Marisa Montes

PLOT:  On a dark October Halloween night a ball is taking place. But it’s not a regular ball with regular people it’s a monster ball.  First the creepy black gatos come out and then to follow are las brujas, los esqueletos, and the scary phantoms. By the middle of the book every possible monster known to mankind is at this ball, the mummies, werewolves, zombie like corpses and your typical vampires are all partying it up. So as they listen to music and dance away they are rudely interrupted by a knock at the door. To their surprise they are young “trick or treaters”.  The monsters are terrified of their presence and they scatter away as quick as they can.

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

IMPRESSION OF THE BOOK:  This was a very cute book to read to my little ones. They laughed and giggled and couldn’t believe that the monsters were afraid of the kids in costumes.  I enjoyed reading the Spanish words and translating the meanings to my children.  They got a kick out of the word “bruja” which means “witch”.  My favorite part of this book was the rhyming words, the illustrations and colors used to portray the story. The end has a great twist because the monsters are afraid of the kids… I love it.

REVIEWS:  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 ni-os, 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. (Picture book. 6-8)

Kirkus Review. (2006). [Review of the book Los gatos black on Halloween, by Marisa Montes]. Kirkus Reviews Issue. Retrieved June 22, 2013, from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/marisa-montes/los-gatos-black-on-halloween/.

USE IN THE LIBRARY: This book could be used in different ways for different ages. The best way to use this book is for cultural background. Halloween is an American tradition every Oct. 31^st. For the younger ages they can create their favorite scary mask or design their costume.  For the older students they can study questions such as: Why does Halloween exist? Where did it originate from? Why do we celebrate it? What other countries partake in Halloween traditions? Students could research these questions by using computer technology.