Oh No, Gotta Go!

by G. Brian Karas, Susan Middleton Elya

It happens all the time. As soon as the car pulls away, someone needs the bathroom.

"Where is un baño? Dónde está? I really do need one," I told mi mamá.

After racing around town, passing a gushing fountain, and cutting the inevitable line for the ladies' room, this adorable little girl makes it to the bathroom in the nick of time. And because the bathroom is in a restaurant, the family stays for a wonderful meal-and lots of limonada. . . .

Buoyant illustrations and a clever mix of Spanish and English combine to capture the urgency and humor of the situation to the delight of kids and grown-ups alike.

Illustrated by G. Brian Karas.

Genres: Picture Books, Spanish Literature, Childrens, Family, Humor, Cultural, Storytime

32 pages, Hardcover

First published June 30, 2003

About the author

G. Brian Karas has illustrated close to ninety children’s books. He has also written and illustrated several titles, including HOME ON THE BAYOU, a BOSTON-GLOBE-HORN Book Honor winner. He lives in Rhinebeck, New York.

Reviews

[Tina Haigler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is my favorite book by this author. The story is cute and relatable, the rhythm is fantastic, and the characters are loveable. One thing that's great about her books is the fact that she employs roughly 50 Spanish words per book, so I learn new vocabulary with each one. I enjoyed the rhyming and the ending in this one especially. The art--using pencil and paint--is colorful and done in a naïve style, adding a child-like quality to the work. I definitely recommend this one; it's great for all ages, even more so if there is a young child in the family.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids (3 & 4 years old) love this book. There's great rhythm and I love the way Spanish and English is combined so that my kids are picking up on the Spanish words and their meanings.

[Lydia]

Rhyming book with some Spanish

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exactly as Lee says in her review (http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...) “I love how this combines English and Spanish without breaking rhythm.”

This is a wonderful bilingual book. The story is in the form of a poem that’s mostly in English with a large smattering of Spanish words, and the poem reads perfectly. There is a glossary of Spanish words in the back of the book, but as the story is read, the meanings of the Spanish words are clear. I already knew about 2/3 of them and with the help of the English part of the story missed the meaning of only 1 or 2 of the remaining Spanish words.

The story is a real story too, of a little girl with her parents in their car who needs a bathroom and what they do to find one, and just in time too. Then, there is a lovely surprise, and then there is a funny ending as well. And, it’s all very realistic; young kids will definitely identify.

The illustrations are cute, colorful, and a lot of fun. And, after I read this, I realized I’d read and enjoyed another book’s illustrations by this illustrator: On Earth (Ala Notable Children's Books. Younger Readers.

[Caroline Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

o Summary: This book has a lot of Spanish words in it. There is a little girl that has to go to the bathroom but she is in the car with her parents. They spend the entire time trying to find a bathroom. Then they finally do. They eat at a restaurant and head back out on the road in their car. The book ends with the little girl having to use the bathroom again.
o Grade level: 5th
o Appropriate classroom use. This book could be used if the students are learning a little bit of Spanish which I think is a good idea.
o Individual students who might benefit from reading would be both students who are learning English and students who are learning Spanish.
o Small group use: Students learning English or Spanish can both read this quietly to themselves or to a partner.
o Whole class use: If there is a lesson over Spanish in the classroom, this is a fun and simpler book to read for that.
o Related books in genre/subject or content area: There is a Spanish edition.
o Multimedia connections available: There is a Spanish edition.

[Jermeria Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would use this book in a classroom where I had a dual language learner whose home language was Spanish. Because this book is written in both English and Spanish, I would have the dual language learner explain to the children who speak English what each word means so that it is a connection that they would make to themselves and their home language.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very fun story and excellent bilingual book :-) I'm pressed for time and don't need to reinvent the wheel, so for those interested in a more detailed review, please see the stellar one written by my friend Lisa Vegan:

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

[frumpburger · Rating 4 out of 5]

um. it's a bilingual book for children about having to pee.

really, what could be better?

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book that teaches some basic Spanish vocabulary terms.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second bilingual picture book I've read by Susan Middleton Elya, and I am starting to see a pattern of how she incorporates English and Spanish into a rhyme scheme. Oh No, Gotta Go! is absolutely adorable and well written. The story is about a young girl needing to desperately *GO* while riding in the car with her parents and the family frantically looking for a bathroom. I like how Elya includes a Spanish glossary and pronunciation guide to help readers learn the language. The context clues within the story are also helpful for connecting the English and Spanish words and meanings. The illustrations by G. Brian Karas are colorful and convey great expression that emphasizes Elya's writing. Children and parents interested in reading/ learning bilingual literature should pick this one up.

[Suzanne Marble · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book surprised me in a way. It has great reviews so I feel torn saying this but I had a few things I disliked. First was there was no pronunciation near the words. It was located at the back of the book. Someone not fluent in Spanish can easily sound confused. It also did not have what the word meant meaning I could not explain to my child what each word meant until the end where the dictionary was. The pictures were nice and it had a great rhythm once you got over the stumbling of pronouncing words your unfamilar with. Pictures were nicely drawn and colored. I know it's not easy to combine English and Spanish into a nice rhyme but I felt those points took away from the story.

[Nashiea Edmiston · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author, Susan Middleton Elya, is one of my absolute favorite children’s book authors who flawlessly intermingles English and Spanish way, and nails it every time. I use her books in my 1st grade classroom to model using context clues to figure out unknown words! There is no better way to introduce this difficult skill while at the same time, teaching young readers a little Spanish! Bebé Goes Shopping in another one of her books that my kids adore! So many uses for these book in primary classrooms!

[Trisha Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up because I was always that kid who had to go to the bathroom at the most inconvenient times. Once, at Disneyland while my dad was waiting in line with me to get Winnie the Pooh's signature, I had to pee, and my dad left the line with me to go, and then went to the end of the line with me to wait again. Bless his heart. Now I think that story should be a picture book.

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is hilarious - what do you do when you have to use the bathroom while you're out on the road and so many shops are closed? Kids enjoyed it and could definitely relate.
There is a mix of Spanish and English, but even if you don't know much Spanish, it's still easy to understand. The rhyme helps guide pronunciation on some of the Spanish words.

[Erin Buhr · Rating 5 out of 5]

What parent hasn't been here - you get in the car and start driving and then your child announces that they desperately need to use the bathroom. That is the premise of this hilarious picture book. The story is paced with appropriate urgency for it's subject matter and brilliantly integrated are Spanish words throughout. This is a laugh out loud book with which both kids and adults will relate.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

After getting settled in the back seat of the family car, the call of nature beckons, and the mad dash to find a bathroom for the little girl before an accident occurs is the subject of this tale told in both Spanish and English.

[Corrine Nevel]

This book would be great for ELL students as well as for Spanish immersion classes. It is a cute story line that most everyone can relate to. It also does a great job incorporating both English and Spanish together to tell a story.

[Jenna Daucunas · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun read! Great rhythm that just flows, amazing to add in all the Spanish words too. "Extraño" for stranger was the only translation that was off -- should be "desconocido"unless some countries say it differently. For our bilingual house this was a hit!

[Daniel Lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun book about a kid needing to go to the bathroom, that weaves Spanish into the language (with helpful glossary/pronunciation guide in the back).

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elya does it again with a rhyming bilingual picture book that doesn't break stride. Cute ending, too.

[Stefanie Delinois · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute book. Great introduction to Spanish. Nice reading cadence.

[Mely · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated this book with its bilingual text. Mostly in English with Spanish peppered here and there. Cute rhyming text.

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute book on you gotta go for the little one!!

[LaDow Picture · Rating 3 out of 5]

For bilingual students.

[Haaley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was a fun story with a good mix of english and spanish.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny bilingual book. The rhythm of the text works well as a read aloud.

[Cyril · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very funny, very well done.

[Marie Rodriguez]

Very cute book and it's funny too

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book about a little girl who has to go pee.

Okay.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was in our Spanish Collection and today...we needed to move our Spanish Collection to a different location and I came across this book...mostly in English with Spanish words sprinkled around....I speak "Sesame Street" Spanish and that is it. However, this book was HILARIOUS!! The Spanish words were easy to understand and if you don't think you are pronouncing them right...there is a pronunciation guide in the back . It was easy to figure out the Spanish Pronunciation because they used several times an English word before that Rhymed with the Spanish word.. The plot was hilarious and the Spanish was fun! Yep...can't believe I am giving a high rating to a Spanish book as I am slightly frustrated with our little utilized Spanish section in our library. The Spanish Speakers in our community want to read the English books and the English speakers tend to be the ones that read the Spanish books and they just don't check out much and (IMHO) takes space for things that do check out....I hope to find more fun Spanish books like this and maybe I will have a better attitude about my Spanish Picture Book Collection in our library. The Spanish Word of the day is Camino--which means Highway... like the car...oh the things we learn at the library.