Lisa Bullard - Marcos Cinco de Mayo: Holidays and Special Days

Cl verleaf books

Holidays and Special Days

Marcos
Cinco
de Mayo

Lisa Bullard

Illustrated by

Holli Conger

For Etta L.B.
To CC, WC, and itty -bitty OC. Thank
you for allowing me to follow my
dreams. H.C.

Text and illustrations copyright 2012 by Lerner Publishing
Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part
of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout the
prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., except
for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.
Millbrook Press
A division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
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Minneapolis, MN 55401 U.S.A.
Website address: www.lernerbooks.com
Main body text set in Slappy Inline 18/28.
Typeface provided by T26.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bullard, Lisa
Marcos Cinco de Mayo / by Lisa Bullard ; illustrated by Holli
Conger.
p. cm. (Cloverleaf books. Holidays and special days)
Includes index.
ISBN 9780761350828 (lib. bdg. : alk. paper)
1. Cinco de Mayo (Mexican holiday)Juvenile literature.
2. MexicoSocial life and customsJuvenile literature.
3. Cinco de Mayo, Battle of, Puebla, Mexico, 1862Juvenile
literature. I. Conger, Holli, ill. II. Title.
F1233.B858 2012
972.07dc23 2011021293
Manufactured in the United States of America
1 BP 12/31/11

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter One
What Is Cinco de Mayo?....

Chapter Two
A Big Problem.....

Chapter Three
Brave and Proud.....

Chapter Four
The Taco Battle.....

Chapter One
What Is Cinco de Mayo?

Hi, Im Marco. See my costume?

Its for Mayo! de Cinco

Thats a holiday that started in Mexico.
People there speak Spanish. Cinco de Mayo
means the 5th of May in Spanish.

Mexico is a neighbor of the
United States. Many people have
moved from Mexico to live in the
United States. Many people in
the United States have family
members in Mexico.

My family is Mexican American.
We celebrate Cinco de Mayo here in the
United States too.

My city has a big parade. There
are games, carnival rides, music,
and dancing. The yummy Mexican
food is the best part.

Cinco de Mayo celebrations
are popular in many U.S.
cities. You dont have to
be Mexican American to
go. The celebrations in the
United States are bigger
than most in Mexico.

Chapter Two
A Big Problem

This year, I havent even had one taco.
Im too nervous. Im one of the dancers.
Lots of people are here to watch.

Dancers and other people
wear costumes for Cinco
de Mayo. The costumes
are based on different
times and places in
Mexicos history.

What if I forget all the steps?

Theres my cousin Diego!

Hes the one who taught
me this dance.

Last night, Diego told me a story. He
said it would help if I felt afraid.

Chapter Three
Brave and Proud

Diego told me about the first Cinco de Mayo.
It happened about years ago.

France sent many soldiers to
Mexico to start a war. People
thought the French soldiers
were the best in the world.

Spain ruled Mexico for hundreds of
years. The Mexicans fought a war
to be free from Spain from 1810
to 1821. When the French soldiers
came in 1861, the Mexicans got
worried. They did not want to lose
their freedom again.

The Mexican army was small. But the Mexicans
were brave and proud of their country.

On May 5, 1862, they did something surprising.

They won a big battle against the French soldiers!

The May 5th battle did not
end Mexicos war with France.
But the Mexican people
remembered Mayo. de Cinco
They kept fighting. Finally,
they won.

I can be brave and proud too. I listen to the
mariachi band while I wait to go onstage.

Suddenly my feet are ready to dance!

Mariachi music has been
popular in Mexico for a long
time. Mariachi bands use
instruments like violins,
guitars, and trumpets. The band
members wear fancy costumes.

Chapter Four
The Taco Battle

Diego says I did a great job dancing. It sure
made me hungry. We have a taco- eating
battle. I eat two more than Diego!

Tacos are made
from tortillas
wrapped around
a filling. Tortillas
are Mexican bread.
They are flat, thin,
and round.