Celebrating Cinco de Mayo in the Claxton Library

Cinco de Mayo is this week, and although this celebration of Mexico's victory against the French army at Puebla tends to be more of an American holiday than a Mexican one, in the Claxton library we are using the date as a cause for CELEBRATION!

Our read-aloud this week is a counting book that coincides with Claxton's Spanish phrase-of-the-week: cuatro, cinco, seis.

Just a Minute by Yuyi Morales is a Pura Belpre award-winning Mexican trickster tale that tells the story of Señor Calavera (Mr. Skeleton), who shows up unexpectedly at Grandma Beetle's door and ominously insists that she leave with him right away. Wily Grandma Beetle delays him with the preparations for her birthday party—preparations that invite the reader to count with her from one to ten in Spanish. 

By the time the tenth guest ("Diez!") arrives at Grandma Beetle's birthday party, Señor Calavera is having such a lovely time that he decides to let her go on living so he can attend another fabulous celebration next year.


This read-aloud is a great way to have the students practice their Spanish counting, as well as celebrate the rich traditions of Mexican culture through eye-catching, vibrant illustrations.

Bilingual read-alouds are a terrific way to reinforce language skills with your children. I encourage you to visit the Claxton library or your local branch of the public library to find some Spanish/English stories to read this week!

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Ms. Brown