Uno, Dos, Tres; One, Two, Three

by Pat Mora

Mora, Pat. Uno, Dos, Tres; One, Two, Three, Illustrated by Barbara Lavallee. New York: Clarion Books, 1996. ISBN 0-395-67294-5.

Uno , Dos, Tres; One, Two, Three is a counting book that counts from 1 to 10 in both Spanish and English. Two sisters frolic through a Mexican market in search of birthday gifts for their mother. The quantity of the objects is colorfully and beautifully illustrated throughout the book. The book incorporates a rhyming scheme and also includes a pronunciation guide at the end of the book.

This book was nominated in 1996 for the Tomas Rivera Mexican-American Children’s Book Award.

This picture book contains characters that are age appropriate and credible to an audience of children. The main characters are two young sisters, who are searching for birthdays gifts for their mother. It is the mother’s birthday; a life event, which every young child has been exposed to and know the importance of.

The plot of the book consists of two sisters venturing through a Mexican market in search of birthday gifts for their mother. The story is presented in a numerical sequence from one to ten as the sisters excitedly begin by purchasing one item and so forth until they obtain ten items to give to their mother for her birthday. The illustrations are all very color and come to live on each page. The illustrations certainly work in conjunction with the text in helping move the sisters through the market. One concern, which I noted, was that it was difficult through some of the illustrations to distinguish between the numerical value and the number of items associated with the value. For instance on pages 20 and 21, the number six is being associated with six castanets however, it was difficult to actually distinguish that there were six castanets. Some of the illustrations are quite busy in color, patterns, lines and shapes however, one familiar with Mexican culture may be familiar with the texture of each illustration. I do believe that they appropriately capture the excitement of the market and also the excitement the sisters are feeling. To some of the children, the illustrations may be slightly overwhelming however; I can surely see many opportunities to discuss with the children all that they are observing through each illustration.

The setting of the book is an integral part of the story. The items, which are being used to associate the numerical values, are items that the sisters are purchasing at the market. The illustrator expertly accomplishes the task of illustrating the time of day and also scenes from not just any market but, from a Mexican market. The scenes are as bright as a sunny day and clearly depict the time of the day being day versus night.

The theme of the book is counting. The storyline takes the audience through the numerical sequence of counting from one to ten in both Spanish and English. The book demonstrates cultural awareness through the characters, the clothing of the characters, the actions of the characters, and the place of the event and items at the market. Universally however, we can all relate to shopping for a birthday gift for someone. I would not say that there is a deeper meaning aside from cultural awareness of Mexican customs and traditions and the education of counting numbers in both Spanish and English.

I would describe the style of this book to incorporate the sound feature of that of rhyming. The author first presents the number in Spanish, proceeding with the English counterpart. She then quite simply creates a rhyming word for the English number. The style is quite effective in giving the story a song quality.

The illustrations are all colorfully created. The color in addition to the amount of illustration creates movement throughout the story. The illustrations do compliment the story in that the numbers are recited in Spanish as the sisters gather presents for their mother at a Mexican market. I do believe that the illustrations do have story telling qualities in that there is so much activity that each child can add to the story through their own observation and perception of the illustrations.

The Mexican culture is depicted throughout the story through the illustrations. From the beautiful display of colors to the form of dress of each character and the items bought at the market such as the piñatas, the castanets, the magnificently weaved baskets and hand painted pots and plates. Mexican artistry can be observed through every fine detail within each illustration. The form of dance displayed through the characters and even the Mexican architecture that can be spotted throughout each illustration.

REVIEW EXCERPTS:
"The deceptively simple design is a delight to the eye as the illustrations vibrantly dance with the text in a count of the presents collected. Robust and radiant, this counting book celebrates the gift of being bilingual and will add multicultural authenticity with a Mexican flavor to any collection." —Booklist

"The jaunty rhyme and repetition are a celebration of the sounds of words and an introduction to the folk arts of Mexico." —Horn Book

"Two sisters romp through a market in Mexico while selecting birthday gifts for their mother. The simply rhyming text pairs the Spanish and English numerals 1-10: 'Uno, one/ We’ll buy Mamá a sun/ dos two/ Two doves that say coo-coo … ' A Spanish pronunciation guide is included … A useful tool for teaching children to count in Spanish." —School Library Journal

RELATED ACTIVITY:
Children can make a counting book of their own using construction paper arranged into a book and cutting from old newspaper inserts or magazines pictures. They can also simply draw onto the pages of their book.