Count Me In!: A Parade of Mexican Folk Art Numbers in English and Spanish

Handcrafted clay figures from Oaxaca, Mexico, invite children to join a parade as they count from one to ten in English and Spanish.

Figuras de barro hechas a mano en Oaxaca, México, invitan a los niños a unirse a un desfile mientras cuentan del uno al diez en inglés y español.

Here comes the parade! Young readers practice number words and counting in English and Spanish as musicians, dancers, "giants," and more march by. One/Uno band leader carries a big white balloon. Two/dos men bring fireworks. Three/tres musicians play their instruments. All the way to ten/diez more onlookers who join the Guelaguetza parade.

Guelaguetza is a cultural event that takes place every July in Oaxaca, Mexico. This lively celebration is joyously depicted in this book by a simple storyline and a parade of fun, colorful, handcrafted clay figures for children to enjoy and count.

Aquí viene el desfile! Los lectores jóvenes practican palabras numéricas y cuentan en inglés y español mientras músicos, bailarines, "gigantes" y más marchan. El líder de la banda uno/one lleva un gran globo blanco. Dos/two hombres traen fuegos artificiales. Tres/three músicos tocan sus instrumentos. Todo el camino a diez/ten más espectadores que se suman al desfile de la Guelaguetza.

La Guelaguetza es un evento cultural que se lleva a cabo cada mes de julio en Oaxaca, México. Esta animada celebración está alegremente representada por una historia simple y un desfile de figuras de arcilla hechas a mano, coloridas y divertidas para que los niños disfruten y cuenten.

Cynthia Weill's fascination with the crafts of Oaxaca began while she was working in Mexico as a Fulbright exchange teacher. She has published several books in the First Concepts in Mexican Folk Art series, which features different folk art of Oaxaca. Many of the figures showcased in this series are now part of the permanent Mesoamerican Anthropology collections at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, Illinois. Cindy lives in New York City and online at cynthiaweill.net.

The Aguilar Sisters -- Guillermina, Josefina, Irene, and Concepción --are Mexico's most beloved folk art artisans. They learned how to make clay figurines from their mother, and their humorous ceramics of the people of their town and state are in museum collections around the world. The sisters have been visited by the late Queen Elizabeth of England, the former Queen Sofía of Spain, and various Mexican presidents.