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P Is for Piñata: A Mexico Alphabet
The country of Mexico has long been a popular travel destination. But there's much more to enjoy and appreciate than just sunshine and warm temperatures when exploring this region with its ancient history and proud traditions. Enjoy an A-Z tour of our neighbor to the south in P is for Piñata: A Mexico Alphabet. Young readers can visit the tomb of a Mayan king, experience the life of the vaquero (Mexican cowboy), attend the world-famous Ballet Folklorico de Mexico, and sample the everyday treat that was once known as the food of the gods. From folk art to famous people to the original hot dog, the treasures of Mexico are revealed in P is for Piñata. Vibrant artwork perfectly captures the flavor, texture, and spirit of its landscape and culture.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published September 30, 2008
4 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
About the author
Tony Johnston
144 books55 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Tony Johnston has written many acclaimed books for young people. She and her husband lived in Mexico for fifteen years, where they raised their children. She now lives in San Marino, California.
Tony Johnston has written many acclaimed books for young people. She and her husband lived in Mexico for fifteen years, where they raised their children. She now lives in San Marino, California.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
November 26, 2017
Text-to-Text Connection:
This past week at the library, I tried to find a few non-fiction picture books that actually seemed interesting. I decided to check the history section and ended up finding this picture book. When I saw it, I instantly thought of another picture book called "W is for Windy City: A Chicago Alphabet." Both of these picture books are concept books that are geared for teaching the alphabet by the use of different topics. What a great way to capture a child's attention by teaching a concept with a topic that they are interested in! These books also provide great source of knowledge as well. Each book has information regarding each word chosen for all of the letters. It is a simple tool integrated on each page that older students can use for research and further learning. In particular, "P Is for Piñata: A Mexico Alphabet" also serves as a great multicultural book for in the classroom!!
This past week at the library, I tried to find a few non-fiction picture books that actually seemed interesting. I decided to check the history section and ended up finding this picture book. When I saw it, I instantly thought of another picture book called "W is for Windy City: A Chicago Alphabet." Both of these picture books are concept books that are geared for teaching the alphabet by the use of different topics. What a great way to capture a child's attention by teaching a concept with a topic that they are interested in! These books also provide great source of knowledge as well. Each book has information regarding each word chosen for all of the letters. It is a simple tool integrated on each page that older students can use for research and further learning. In particular, "P Is for Piñata: A Mexico Alphabet" also serves as a great multicultural book for in the classroom!!
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April 17, 2016What's weird is that inside the book, P is actually for prickly pear.
Also, it's interesting that probably two-thirds of the words are English. Not good or bad, just interesting.
Also, I like that the very mixed heritage that makes up Mexico is represented. Olmec, Maya, mestizo. Modern history, ancient history. Nature and culture. Good stuff overall, just a little weird.
Also, it's interesting that probably two-thirds of the words are English. Not good or bad, just interesting.
Also, I like that the very mixed heritage that makes up Mexico is represented. Olmec, Maya, mestizo. Modern history, ancient history. Nature and culture. Good stuff overall, just a little weird.
June 30, 2012
Genre: Nonfiction – Information Book
Lexile level: (not found) Early Childhood/ Preschool
Organization: “P is for Piñata – A Mexican Alphabet” is organized based on the modern English alphabet, which consists of twenty-six letters. Each letter is designated with a relevant word in the Mexican vocabulary with a brief description of such word. For instance, the letter A is for Adobe – “Adobe is a certain kind of brick. It’s made from straw and mud that’s very thick.” In addition, there is a more descriptive explanation of the word, which focuses on its presence in Mexican culture. Throughout the book, each letter is illustrated with colorful and detailed images.
Unique Features of Text: In the beginning, of the book there is a map of Mexico, which gives some context to the reader. As stated above, this book begins with the letter A – “Adobe” and ends with the letter Z – “Zero.” Overall, each letter consists of two pages in which one has an elaborate description of the word while the other illustrates its meaning.
Main Ideas:
Travel and Places
The Alphabet
Recommended: I would recommend “P is for Piñata – A Mexican Alphabet” in order to learn a bit more about Mexican culture and historical accounts. Through detailed illustrations, students will not only be able to extend their vocabulary, but also increase their alphabetical recognition. By using this book with the early childhood and preschool grades, students will learn about Mexican culture while developing their recognition and their ability to hear, identify, and manipulate letters.
Personal Reaction: Reading “P is for Piñata – A Mexican Alphabet” was fun. In the beginning, I was a bit uncertain of what to expect. Since the book’s main objective is to identify the English alphabet with Mexican words, I though I could not enjoy reading this book or learn from it. Nonetheless, after reading certain pages I realized children and adults could learn about cultural and historical aspects of Mexico.
Satisfying Concluding Statement: A colorful and detailed tour through Mexico.
Lexile level: (not found) Early Childhood/ Preschool
Organization: “P is for Piñata – A Mexican Alphabet” is organized based on the modern English alphabet, which consists of twenty-six letters. Each letter is designated with a relevant word in the Mexican vocabulary with a brief description of such word. For instance, the letter A is for Adobe – “Adobe is a certain kind of brick. It’s made from straw and mud that’s very thick.” In addition, there is a more descriptive explanation of the word, which focuses on its presence in Mexican culture. Throughout the book, each letter is illustrated with colorful and detailed images.
Unique Features of Text: In the beginning, of the book there is a map of Mexico, which gives some context to the reader. As stated above, this book begins with the letter A – “Adobe” and ends with the letter Z – “Zero.” Overall, each letter consists of two pages in which one has an elaborate description of the word while the other illustrates its meaning.
Main Ideas:
Travel and Places
The Alphabet
Recommended: I would recommend “P is for Piñata – A Mexican Alphabet” in order to learn a bit more about Mexican culture and historical accounts. Through detailed illustrations, students will not only be able to extend their vocabulary, but also increase their alphabetical recognition. By using this book with the early childhood and preschool grades, students will learn about Mexican culture while developing their recognition and their ability to hear, identify, and manipulate letters.
Personal Reaction: Reading “P is for Piñata – A Mexican Alphabet” was fun. In the beginning, I was a bit uncertain of what to expect. Since the book’s main objective is to identify the English alphabet with Mexican words, I though I could not enjoy reading this book or learn from it. Nonetheless, after reading certain pages I realized children and adults could learn about cultural and historical aspects of Mexico.
Satisfying Concluding Statement: A colorful and detailed tour through Mexico.
June 14, 2011
The illustrations are beautiful.
The information ... more than adequate. Though some of the alphabet choices are a bit strange.
The rhymes? AWFUL.
"Maize is eaten in many ways,
like sopes and quesadillas.
One perfect way of eating it
is humble, warm tortillas."
"The rain god has a lot of different names,
But what he does has always been the same.
He sits up in his cloudy-damp domain
and when he wants to, lets fall all the rain."
Not super impressed. Worth looking at for the pictures. But then ... put it away and find something else to learn about the culture. Maybe George Ancona or something. I know there have to be better titles out there.
The information ... more than adequate. Though some of the alphabet choices are a bit strange.
The rhymes? AWFUL.
"Maize is eaten in many ways,
like sopes and quesadillas.
One perfect way of eating it
is humble, warm tortillas."
"The rain god has a lot of different names,
But what he does has always been the same.
He sits up in his cloudy-damp domain
and when he wants to, lets fall all the rain."
Not super impressed. Worth looking at for the pictures. But then ... put it away and find something else to learn about the culture. Maybe George Ancona or something. I know there have to be better titles out there.
October 31, 2013
Word Count: 5,549
Reading Level: 5.8
Interest Level: 2-5
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 5.8 / points: 1.0 / quiz: 126905 (01/12/09) / grade: Middle Genre: Nonfiction – Information Book
Lexile level: (not found) Early Childhood/ Preschool
This book tells readers all about mexico in a a-z walk through of what mexico and Mexican culture has to offer. This book goes through the alphabet as it covers thing like the Ballet Folklorico a famous Mexican dance and Lady Guadalupe the saint of mexico. This book is packed with facts about mexico and Mexican culture. Great book for with tons of information great to read to your kids on cinco de mayo or just to have in the library.
Reading Level: 5.8
Interest Level: 2-5
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 5.8 / points: 1.0 / quiz: 126905 (01/12/09) / grade: Middle Genre: Nonfiction – Information Book
Lexile level: (not found) Early Childhood/ Preschool
This book tells readers all about mexico in a a-z walk through of what mexico and Mexican culture has to offer. This book goes through the alphabet as it covers thing like the Ballet Folklorico a famous Mexican dance and Lady Guadalupe the saint of mexico. This book is packed with facts about mexico and Mexican culture. Great book for with tons of information great to read to your kids on cinco de mayo or just to have in the library.
June 8, 2011
Definitely a winner. I've never seriously considered visiting Mexico before but this book was much more interesting than any "grown-up" ones I've read on the subject, making me wish I had seen the country. I especially appreciated the folk art illustrations-very much in keeping with traditional Mexican art.
July 15, 2014
Adobe. Ballet Folkrórico. Cacao. Diego Rivera. Emperor. Folk art. lady of Guadalupe. Hairless dog. Independence monument. Juhitán. Kahlo. Lava. Maize. Netzahualcóyotl. Olympic games. Picky pear. Quetzal. Rain God. Skeleton. Tomb. Usmacinta river. Vaquero. Weave. Xochimilco. Yoke. Zero.
i like the illustration
i like the illustration
August 26, 2016
Any book that sends me to Google as often as this one did is a winner - it covers a wide range of topics, and definitely gets the reader interested and excited to do more research.
The illustrations are fine - done in a folk art style, they convey what the text is talking about, but they aren't necessarily more interesting than the words.
The illustrations are fine - done in a folk art style, they convey what the text is talking about, but they aren't necessarily more interesting than the words.
May 11, 2012
A beautiful trip through Mexico, one letter at a time. By just reading the lines at each letter and skipping the more in-depth information, this book can be a good choice for a preschool storytime program. This book is in English, with some Spanish words mixed in.
July 6, 2013
Lots and lots of info, best suited for school age kids.
November 3, 2019
Firstly, P Is NOT for Piñata. Some other forgotton word was. Secondly, I don't know who the audience was for this. For Mexican-American children only, I guess. There is no pronunciation guide for those that don't know Aztec & Mayan words or Spanish words. I think this is especially important for children's books. And don't you want to teach non-Mexican American children about other cultures?? Thirdly, the information was really broad, it didn't do a very good explaining what each letter's representative was. I found this especially true of Ballet Folklorico, Quetzal, Skeleton (which was Day of the Dead), and Maria Kahlo.
June 1, 2020
P Is for Piñata: A Mexico Alphabet is a great book for young students to discuss cultures they may not be familiar with. If teachers are in a classroom that lacks diversity, or even if it does not, having diversity in literature is never a bad idea. The book’s main idea is to introduce some Spanish words and Mexican culture to readers who perhaps are unfamiliar with such things. It’s light-hearted and a fun read. This would be great for teachers who are looking to go beyond American culture literature reads and start a discussion about their own culture and family history with the class.
September 27, 2021
This book was so colorful, delightfully informative, and overall amazing. The book goes through the alphabet citing examples for each letter in either Spanish or English. It has a rhyme scheme on the main picture and includes an in depth description of the example on the margin for those interested. It is a book that I child could grow with, going from the pictures, to the short stanza, to the full description.
October 5, 2019
The illustrations are amazing--and a wonderful representation of some of the styles of folk art to be found in Mexico.
While the juvenile text framing the illustrations didn't impress me, the additional info aimed at a more adult audience did. The info was full of cultural and historical details.
While the juvenile text framing the illustrations didn't impress me, the additional info aimed at a more adult audience did. The info was full of cultural and historical details.
April 27, 2022
This nonfiction book is fantastic for learning about Mexican culture and history!! I honestly wasn’t expecting this much detail to be within this book, so man was I surprised when so much amazing information was piled on each page. Perfect for cultural and geography studies on Mexico for children.
May 28, 2020
A great book for children but I found a huge amount of new information myself. A great book to learn more about Mexico and their beliefs and traditions.
January 10, 2024
LOVE this book! I learned so much!!! It is a book I may want to buy.
January 2, 2025
This book is an excellent way to introduce young readers and listeners to Mexican culture, food, religion, and history. Highly recommended for both public and school libraries.
June 3, 2025
My preschooler chose this at the Library and it was an easy read for bedtime stories. We did a couple letters each night and it allowed exposure to Mexican culture and history.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews