INTRODUCTION
This reading guide is designed to accompany author and illustrator Flavia Z. Drago’s picture book Gustavo, the Shy Ghost. We hold the belief that anti-racist practice is a process of learning (and unlearning) over time. Reading Is Resistance sees reading as an opportunity to seed deeper conversations and possibilities for action around racial justice and co-liberation.
Lesson content was written by Zapoura Newton-Calvert and was designed to start and deepen anti-bias/anti-racist conversations in families and other learning communities.
BOOK THEMES
IDENTITY, BELONGING, DIVERSITY, GHOSTS, FRIENDSHIP, EL DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS, APPRECIATION V. APPROPRIATION
BOOK SUMMARY
Gustavo is a shy ghost with a talent for the violin. In this beautiful book, both written and illustrated by Mexican creative Flavia Drago, we get an inside peek into Gustavo’s identity, from his family home to his personal gifts. We also see visual references to Mexican cultural traditions connected to El Día de Los Muertos in each scene. In the end, when Gustavo invites his friends to share his musical gift, will they show up?
This book can be used to seed conversations about fall holidays, feelings, friendship, and the difference between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation as well.