Just A Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book

Just a Minute
A Trickster Tale and Counting Book
By Yuyi Morales
Illustrated by John Parra

Although Day of the Dead isn’t actually celebrated until November 1st and 2nd, because this is the month of preparations and in keeping with the festivities, the LBBC’s recommendation for October’s Libro del Mes, is Yuyi Morales’ Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book.

The book centers around the visit of Señor Calavera, who has arrived at Grandma Beetle’s house to take her with him. Of course, Grandma Beetle is a clever little abuelita and amidst promises to be ready soon, manages to delay Señor Calavera with all her important preparations for her own birthday party. For example, there is UNA casa to sweep, Dos pots of tea to boil, Tres stacks of tortillas…you get the idea.

The book is a perfect introduction to the Latino holiday as well as a delightful way to teach numbers in Spanish to little ones. The repetitive format is laid out in a manner that make it easy for toddlers to grasp the meaning of each number, yet written in such a way that it keeps the storyline moving and original.

"Just a minute, Señor Calavera."
Grandma Beetle said. "I will go
With you right away, I have just
SEVEN piñatas to fill with candy."
Señor Calavera shook his head
in disbelief, it was getting late!
SIETE Seven piñatas full
Of candy, counted Señor Calavera,
And he held open the door for
Grandma Beetle…"

The illustrations are what I classify as the 3 B’s – Beautiful, Bright, and Bold. Exactly the way a children’s book should be – especially a Latino children’s book. Morales quite obviously loves color and she arranges and blends the hues in such a way as to make the artwork joyful and lively.

I can’t get enough of this book and can barely wait for the sequel, Just in Case: A Trickster Tale and Spanish Alphabet Book, which is due out October 14th. As indicated by the title, Just in Case, is an abecedario to accompany the counting book and sounds hilarious. I will tell you all about it as soon as I get my hands on one!

In addition, I have to tell you how much I love author web sites. They tend to be so imaginative and inviting. And I especially enjoy those that include activities or lesson plans for parents/ teachers to print out. If you’d like to check out Morales’ web site, click here. Or if you would like to visit a page specifically for this book, you can find it here. It contains activity sheets for a mask project and a puppet along with a few other surprises. Teachers, you may find a downloadable teacher’s guide (grades K-3) here.

If you would like to buy your own copy of Just a Minute, please click here. Or you can follow the link in our sidebar to the LBBC’s on-line store. We have both new and gently used copies available.