cover image One Is a Piñata: A Book of Numbers

One Is a Piñata: A Book of Numbers

Roseanne Greenfield Thong, illus. by John Parra. Chronicle, $16.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-4521-5584-5

In this festive counting book, a companion to Round Is a Tortilla and Green Is a Chile Pepper, children take part in casual activities and attend joyful celebrations within their Spanish-speaking community. Parra’s paintings feature clear-cut, folk art–style figures and shapes, while tiny details (flowers and planets, a mouse peering from a hole) add ornamental charm. Thong introduces Spanish vocabulary words from one to 10: “Five beach palapas./ Five boats in the bay./ Five hammocks swinging/ on a lazy day.” she writes in sunny, rhyming verses as children are pictured reclining on hammocks hung between palm trees. Elsewhere, masked figures appear in a Day of the Dead parade: “Seven calaveras to put on display!” From one to 10, this addition to a beautiful series brightly conveys the delight to be found in family, friends, and neighborhood gatherings. Ages 5–6. (Mar.)