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Just a Minute!: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book
In this original trickster tale, Senor Calavera arrives unexpectedly at Grandma Beetle's door. He requests that she leave with him right away. "Just a minute," Grandma Beetle tells him. She still has one house to sweep, two pots of tea to boil, three pounds of corn to make into tortillas -- and that's just the start! Using both Spanish and English words to tally the party preparations, Grandma Beetle cleverly delays her trip and spends her birthday with a table full of grandchildren and her surprise guest. This spirited tribute to the rich traditions of Mexican culture is the perfect introduction to counting in both English and Spanish. The vivacious illustrations and universal depiction of a family celebration are sure to be adored by young readers everywhere.
36 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2003
10 people are currently reading
920 people want to read
About the author
Yuyi Morales
24 books450 followersYuyi Morales is the illustrator of Kathleen Krull’s Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez, whose accolades include a Pura Belpré Award and a Christopher Medal, as well as the Pura Belpré Award-winning Los Gatos Black on Halloween by Marisa Montes. Born and raised in Mexico, she now lives in northern California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 438 reviews
October 27, 2020
Moral of this story: Don't go up against grandma.
You just do. not. mess. with. grandma.
Grandmother Beetle is totally ready to go with Senor Calavera when he shows up on her doorstep, she just has to do this one thing. Then they can go. Well, after these two things. And so on.
It's a fun counting and building story but it's the bright, informative, emotive illustrations that really make the tale worth telling and seeing.
On a personal level, I love that death is not scary, that Grandmother Beetle and her grandchildren accept him into the home without fear or worry. That warmed the obsidian cockles of my dark, little heart.
You just do. not. mess. with. grandma.
Grandmother Beetle is totally ready to go with Senor Calavera when he shows up on her doorstep, she just has to do this one thing. Then they can go. Well, after these two things. And so on.
It's a fun counting and building story but it's the bright, informative, emotive illustrations that really make the tale worth telling and seeing.
On a personal level, I love that death is not scary, that Grandmother Beetle and her grandchildren accept him into the home without fear or worry. That warmed the obsidian cockles of my dark, little heart.
April 17, 2010
I loved this art style in Los Gatos Black on Halloween but I wasn’t sure I’d like these illustrations in a non-Halloween book. I did. A lot. I especially like the cat that appears on every page and the nine grandchildren who appear on several pages.
This is a fun trickster tale and it works really well as a bilingual English-Spanish counting book, with the story told in English and the counting of numbers 1 to 10 in both English and Spanish. I really enjoyed the humor in the book, as Grandma Beetle outwits Señor Calavera.
I really enjoyed this book, and it’s a terrific addition to the genre of counting books.
I do think some young children might be afraid of both the skeleton illustrations and one aspect of the story, and for sensitive or easily frightened children, I’d recommend that an adult screen this book before reading it to them.
This is a fun trickster tale and it works really well as a bilingual English-Spanish counting book, with the story told in English and the counting of numbers 1 to 10 in both English and Spanish. I really enjoyed the humor in the book, as Grandma Beetle outwits Señor Calavera.
I really enjoyed this book, and it’s a terrific addition to the genre of counting books.
I do think some young children might be afraid of both the skeleton illustrations and one aspect of the story, and for sensitive or easily frightened children, I’d recommend that an adult screen this book before reading it to them.
January 20, 2020
When Señor Calavera ("Mr. Skull") knocks on Grandma Beetle's door, and indicates that it is her time to come with him, he does not expect to spend the next few hours watching her perform a series of tasks, or to join her birthday celebration, also attended by her nine grandchildren. But the heroine of this entertaining counting book from the fabulously talented Yuyi Morales - an author and illustrator whose gorgeous work can be seen in books like
Little Night
and
Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez
- is a gentle trickster who knows how to get around even death...
Just a Minute!: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book won a Pura Belpré Award for illustration, and it is not difficult to see why! The artwork, with its vivid use of color and expressive figures (both human and skeletal), is immensely appealing, with a "Day of the Dead" motif that works very well with the story. Highly recommended to young readers looking for creative counting books, particularly ESL students, and to fans of Yuyi Morales.
Just a Minute!: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book won a Pura Belpré Award for illustration, and it is not difficult to see why! The artwork, with its vivid use of color and expressive figures (both human and skeletal), is immensely appealing, with a "Day of the Dead" motif that works very well with the story. Highly recommended to young readers looking for creative counting books, particularly ESL students, and to fans of Yuyi Morales.
June 27, 2021
I read this book with my five year old niece. She loved the illustrations and that she was able to count to ten in english and spanish. When I would say the word in english she would tell me she knew it in spanish and indeed she did! The story was an okay one. She wasn't to thrilled about it. However, she was able to recall the characters names at the finish of the book. Her retention skills are impressive.
The story encapsulates the love of family, food and tradition.
The story encapsulates the love of family, food and tradition.
November 30, 2016
1.Señor Calavera (death) arrives at Grandma Beetle's door, ready to take her to the next life, but after helping her count, in English and Spanish, as she makes her birthday preparations, he (death) changes his mind. the illustrations are beautiful in this book.
2. Grades K-3
3. I would pair this when teaching numbers and teach both English and Spanish counting to the kids.
4. Students who are struggling to learn to count would love this book.
5. In small groups I would have the students make a book of counting and draw pictures to correspond with the number.
6. I would have the class count along in both languages with me while I read to them.
7. First Day in Grapes
8. Their is a youtube video of the author reading the book to a group of kids.
2. Grades K-3
3. I would pair this when teaching numbers and teach both English and Spanish counting to the kids.
4. Students who are struggling to learn to count would love this book.
5. In small groups I would have the students make a book of counting and draw pictures to correspond with the number.
6. I would have the class count along in both languages with me while I read to them.
7. First Day in Grapes
8. Their is a youtube video of the author reading the book to a group of kids.
August 4, 2018
Trickster tales are in virtually every oral history around the world and celebrated author Yuyi Morales brings one to the page in this book. It's Grandma Beetle's birthday and all her family are here to celebrate but there's one uninvited guest... Señor Calavera. Using counting words in Spanish, wonderful illustrations and facets of Mexican culture this trickster tale will be well received for a long time.
Find Just a Minute! at the Westminster Public Library!
Find Just a Minute! at the Westminster Public Library!
July 12, 2017
I loved this fun tale of trickery. The woman is sneaky as she wears out Señor Calavera. It would do well paired with Keeper of Soles as that also is a case of tricking death. I love Yuyi Morales' vibrant artwork and the playfulness of both the text especially the illustrations. I'm eager to share this book with my students. I know they will enjoy counting in Spanish as we read.
October 13, 2019
Love it. I’m always getting teased by my family for replying “just a minute!” to anything asked of me. This book just proves how useful that could be one day 🤣. The child enjoyed it too!
May 1, 2013
On an old woman's birthday an unexpected visitor arrives. A skeleton, arrives and wants Grandma Beetle to go with him. To stall she starts to do chores around the house. Until her grandchildren arrive to the house they don't understand why the skeleton is there but they enjoy having him around. The skeleton then extends the grandmothers life and lets her continue on with her grandchildren. I would have to say that this book has a weird twist to it. I like the idea that you are expecting death to come her way since that is what the skeleton is originally there for, but since he sees how she is with her grandchildren, and how the children love him, he extends her life which is unexpected. Overall, it is a cute and fun story to read aloud to children. This book is a good way to introduce numbers and counting not only in english but in spanish as well. I like how each picture fits the Mexican culture perfectly. The use of the dark colors makes it stand out in its own way and the different shadings around the skeleton. If you pay attention to the background it showed things you would find in a Mexican household. They fit culture perfectly into this book.
January 17, 2018
This trickster tale had me laughing and imagining my students wearing skeleton painted shirt made by themselves and acting out Señor Calavera's patience wearing thin. Grandma Beetle always agrees it's time to go with Señor Calavera, but right after one more task she needs to do. Readers will delight as Grandma Beetle even gets Señor Calavera working! Finding out why Grandma keeps postponing her leave, what she's preparing for and why, might leave readers a little misty eyed, but it will soon go away when the trickster, sweet grandma, gets her way and let's the reader in on her plan, with the subtle wink of her eye. Funny, kind, compassionate, and sly, as all trickster tales seem to be, Yuyi Morales proves to be a masterful storyteller through words, and colorful detailed art, with both Señor Calavera's and Grandma Beetle's facial expressions telling the reader so much of the mood and personalities of these characters. Don't be surprised if you end up learning how to count from 1-10 in Spanish!
September 10, 2019
I really like how this book incorporated Spanish numbers into it when counting the things to do! It also does a good job of teaching the importance of patience. Also the illustrations were bright and very appealing telling a story in itself.
March 13, 2009
I loved this story and the illustrations! I enjoyed the nice surprise ending too. I must read more by Morales. Highly recommended!
July 26, 2011
Excellent counting book for ELL Students.
April 29, 2012
I love Yuyi Morales. The illustrations are incredibly nuanced and I love drinking in each beautiful page. Just A Minute is delightfully funny. (Bonus cute kitten on every page!)
September 14, 2012
I love this book! Great to read for Hispanic Heritage Month or teaching about multicultural folktales.
March 7, 2013
hard to understand. i would not read to young children because there would need to he a lot of explaining as you read.
March 21, 2014
A very fun counting book where a cute grandma outwits senor calavera in order to prepare for and celebrate her birthday. Bright colors and playful perspectives give this book a joyful quality.
July 15, 2015
Beautiful illustrations!
July 22, 2016
Great story and AWESOME illustrations. I LOVED LOVED LOVED the colors!
April 19, 2017
Lucas (3.5) loves this one; he loves to locate the cat in each picture, as well as count all the items.
May 26, 2020
Just a Minute! by Yuyi Morales is a great book for many reasons. This book tells the tale of a an old woman who is delaying her trip with Senor Calavera. It it setup like a counting book with each page going up in numbers until 10. It also shows the numbers in Spanish. Senor Calavera is getting very impatient with Grandma Beetle prolonging her trip but ends up with a change of heart.
I believe this book showed some high qualities in diversity but also lacked in other areas. Children's Literature Briefly 7th Edition, explains that some of these criteria are: to avoid a single story line, represent culture authentically and have non-stereotypical illustrations. This book focuses on Mexican culture very accurately but also only shows one story line. There are also stereotypical illustrations found through out the story. For example, I personally feel that showing how she had so many grandchildren could be considered stereotypical of the Mexican culture. Being of this culture I do, however see how this can be true and I am personally not offended.
Another thing about this book is that I do not believe it tells much to outsiders. If one is not familiar with Mexican culture they may not understand this book. It is touching on the subject of death and I took that because of Senor Calavera and related it to day of the dead celebrations. There was no explanations of this at all in the story. This is a great "mirror" book, Rudine Sims Bishop says, "books can be mirrors, windows and sliding door." Mirror being how a person can see themselves in a book.
I believe this book showed some high qualities in diversity but also lacked in other areas. Children's Literature Briefly 7th Edition, explains that some of these criteria are: to avoid a single story line, represent culture authentically and have non-stereotypical illustrations. This book focuses on Mexican culture very accurately but also only shows one story line. There are also stereotypical illustrations found through out the story. For example, I personally feel that showing how she had so many grandchildren could be considered stereotypical of the Mexican culture. Being of this culture I do, however see how this can be true and I am personally not offended.
Another thing about this book is that I do not believe it tells much to outsiders. If one is not familiar with Mexican culture they may not understand this book. It is touching on the subject of death and I took that because of Senor Calavera and related it to day of the dead celebrations. There was no explanations of this at all in the story. This is a great "mirror" book, Rudine Sims Bishop says, "books can be mirrors, windows and sliding door." Mirror being how a person can see themselves in a book.
October 4, 2022
Senior Calavera showed up to grandmas door one morning without her being ready. She insisted he needed to wait as she prepared the house for all the guests to arrive. Once everyone arrived, they sang and celebrated grandmas birthday. In the novel, the author includes both Spanish and English words in many pages of the book. It teaches children how to count from 1-10 in both English and Spanish.
I would include this book in my classroom because it’s important for children to learn more then one language. Since this book includes both Spanish and English, children can learn how to count from 1-10 in more then just one language
I would include this book in my classroom because it’s important for children to learn more then one language. Since this book includes both Spanish and English, children can learn how to count from 1-10 in more then just one language
November 16, 2025
Just a Minute is a culturally rich story that also includes counting numbers. This story is great for blending in numbers with reading a story. I chose this book because it is a fun learning story book that teaches us more about the Latinx culture.
November 25, 2020
A delightful trickster tale, ode to the power of grandmas, and spooky-ish story.
Read
March 11, 2018Senor Calavera shows up at Grandma Beetle's door to take her away, but she gets him to give her more time as she makes preparations for a party.
Love the angles and colors in the art.
Love the angles and colors in the art.
Read
November 6, 2016Title: Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book
Author: Yuyi Morales
Illustrator: Yuyi Morales
Genre: Non-Europen Folktale
Theme(s): folklore, counting
Opening line/sentence: “When Grandma Beetle woke at dawn, she heard a knock at the door.”
Brief Book Summary: Grandma Beetle heard a knock on the door and was greeted by a surprising guest, Señor Calavera, a skeleton who wanted Grandma Beetle to come with him right away. Grandma Beetle agreed to come with him after she completed ten tasks, this takes longer than Señor Calavera pleases and this makes him angry and impatient. The story concludes with Grandma Beetle’s birthday party after finishing her tasks and Señor Calavera disappearing and leaving nothing but a note.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1: Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, October 15, 2003 (Vol. 71, No. 20)) Winking and nodding as she goes, a Latino grandmother will charm readers as she charms Death Himself in this original counting-cum-trickster tale. When skeletal Se-or Calavera appears at the door, Grandma Beetle bids him wait while she sweeps ONE house ("UNO"), makes TWO pots of tea ("DOS"), grinds THREE pounds of corn for tortillas ("TRES"), and so on, culminating in a festive birthday party at which Se-or Calavera finds himself guest number TEN ("DIEZ"). As Grandma, round and brown, with sparkles in her eyes and gray hair both, bustles about, the expression on Se-or Calavera's sugar-skull face grows more and more hilariously impatient-but by party's end, he's departed, leaving a thank-you note promising to be back for Grandma Beetle's next birthday. Lit with dancing lines and warm colors, Morales's illustrations enhance the appeal of this winning story even further.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: Jennifer Mattson (Booklist, Dec. 1, 2003 (Vol. 100, No. 7)) What's an old woman to do when a skeleton pays her a birthday visit and beckons her to "come along"? Grandma Beetle, the heroine of this joyful book by the illustrator of Harvesting Hope [BKL Je 1 & 15 03], stalls for time. "Just a minute," she says; there's something she needs to do. One chore leads to another, but the skeleton can't mask his enthusiasm as Grandma cooks, fills pinatas, and performs other tasks, each one linked to a number from 1 to 10, uno to diez. Eventually nueve grandchildren arrive for Grandma's birthday party, and guess who else is invited? Even if children don't grasp the implications of the skeleton's visit, they'll enjoy seeing him join the fun, and when he extends Grandma's lease on life, the relieved, loving embrace she gives her grandchildren will satisfy young ones at a gut level. Like the text, the rich, lively artwork draws strongly upon Mexican culture, with hints of Diego Rivera in Grandma's robust form, and the skeleton resembling the whimsical figurines often seen in Day of the Dead folk art. The splendid paintings and spirited storytelling--along with useful math and multicultural elements--augur a long, full life for this original folktale.
Response to Two Professional Reviews: I really appreciated Kirkus’ attention to the detail in the illustrations of Señor Calavera’s face, he continuously grows more impatient and this will have the kids laughing if they see these details. Although, this story does not seem funny just based on the text, the illustrations add the comical factor. The book teaches counting in both English and Spanish, but the pictures do not always match the amount of items said in the story, which could be confusing for children. I also like how Jennifer Mattson notices the Mexican culture displayed in the book, this book informs us of a very brief Mexican culture, that a teacher would need to explore more.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: The plot is surprising because you do not know or expect there to be a party thrown for Grandma Beetle at the end. There is a predictability aspect of the plot because of the counting aspect of this book. You know that Grandma Beetle will continue to say “just a minute” every time she finishes up a task. The illustrations are very colorful, attractive to the eye and detailed, which will have children engaged.
Consideration of Instructional Application: You could use this book to teach about Mexican culture, but the culture talked about in this book is extremely brief and mainly done through the illustrations, so much more research would need to be done. I would mainly focus on counting with this book, specifically learning to count in Spanish. I would have the students repeat the numbers after me when I read the book aloud to the class. I would have the students count different objects and things around the room in Spanish for practice and I would incorporate counting in Spanish into my vocabulary to get the students acquainted.
Author: Yuyi Morales
Illustrator: Yuyi Morales
Genre: Non-Europen Folktale
Theme(s): folklore, counting
Opening line/sentence: “When Grandma Beetle woke at dawn, she heard a knock at the door.”
Brief Book Summary: Grandma Beetle heard a knock on the door and was greeted by a surprising guest, Señor Calavera, a skeleton who wanted Grandma Beetle to come with him right away. Grandma Beetle agreed to come with him after she completed ten tasks, this takes longer than Señor Calavera pleases and this makes him angry and impatient. The story concludes with Grandma Beetle’s birthday party after finishing her tasks and Señor Calavera disappearing and leaving nothing but a note.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1: Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, October 15, 2003 (Vol. 71, No. 20)) Winking and nodding as she goes, a Latino grandmother will charm readers as she charms Death Himself in this original counting-cum-trickster tale. When skeletal Se-or Calavera appears at the door, Grandma Beetle bids him wait while she sweeps ONE house ("UNO"), makes TWO pots of tea ("DOS"), grinds THREE pounds of corn for tortillas ("TRES"), and so on, culminating in a festive birthday party at which Se-or Calavera finds himself guest number TEN ("DIEZ"). As Grandma, round and brown, with sparkles in her eyes and gray hair both, bustles about, the expression on Se-or Calavera's sugar-skull face grows more and more hilariously impatient-but by party's end, he's departed, leaving a thank-you note promising to be back for Grandma Beetle's next birthday. Lit with dancing lines and warm colors, Morales's illustrations enhance the appeal of this winning story even further.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: Jennifer Mattson (Booklist, Dec. 1, 2003 (Vol. 100, No. 7)) What's an old woman to do when a skeleton pays her a birthday visit and beckons her to "come along"? Grandma Beetle, the heroine of this joyful book by the illustrator of Harvesting Hope [BKL Je 1 & 15 03], stalls for time. "Just a minute," she says; there's something she needs to do. One chore leads to another, but the skeleton can't mask his enthusiasm as Grandma cooks, fills pinatas, and performs other tasks, each one linked to a number from 1 to 10, uno to diez. Eventually nueve grandchildren arrive for Grandma's birthday party, and guess who else is invited? Even if children don't grasp the implications of the skeleton's visit, they'll enjoy seeing him join the fun, and when he extends Grandma's lease on life, the relieved, loving embrace she gives her grandchildren will satisfy young ones at a gut level. Like the text, the rich, lively artwork draws strongly upon Mexican culture, with hints of Diego Rivera in Grandma's robust form, and the skeleton resembling the whimsical figurines often seen in Day of the Dead folk art. The splendid paintings and spirited storytelling--along with useful math and multicultural elements--augur a long, full life for this original folktale.
Response to Two Professional Reviews: I really appreciated Kirkus’ attention to the detail in the illustrations of Señor Calavera’s face, he continuously grows more impatient and this will have the kids laughing if they see these details. Although, this story does not seem funny just based on the text, the illustrations add the comical factor. The book teaches counting in both English and Spanish, but the pictures do not always match the amount of items said in the story, which could be confusing for children. I also like how Jennifer Mattson notices the Mexican culture displayed in the book, this book informs us of a very brief Mexican culture, that a teacher would need to explore more.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: The plot is surprising because you do not know or expect there to be a party thrown for Grandma Beetle at the end. There is a predictability aspect of the plot because of the counting aspect of this book. You know that Grandma Beetle will continue to say “just a minute” every time she finishes up a task. The illustrations are very colorful, attractive to the eye and detailed, which will have children engaged.
Consideration of Instructional Application: You could use this book to teach about Mexican culture, but the culture talked about in this book is extremely brief and mainly done through the illustrations, so much more research would need to be done. I would mainly focus on counting with this book, specifically learning to count in Spanish. I would have the students repeat the numbers after me when I read the book aloud to the class. I would have the students count different objects and things around the room in Spanish for practice and I would incorporate counting in Spanish into my vocabulary to get the students acquainted.
November 29, 2017
When Senor Calavera (a symbol for death) comes for Grandma Beetle, she manages to outsmart him by making him wait just one minute more. Then she asks Calavera to wait until she makes to two cups of tea, then wait for her to make three tortilla and so on. Eventually Calavera helps Grandma set up her own birthday party and leaves once he realizes she has nine grandchildren. This story is a creative spin on counting books and includes the numbers in both English and Spanish.
December 8, 2021
Just A Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book is a Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award winner by author and illustrator Yuyi Morales. The style of the illustrations brings the story and characters to life and practices counting skills in two languages. This book is perfect for a read-aloud in any classroom and is sure to be memorable!
October 30, 2019
A fun book that incorporates counting in two languages as Senor Calavera is told “just a minute” on every page. Grandma Beetle was a busy woman and always had a task to do, which pushed off going with Senor Calavera. He was a skeleton and she was a hard working Afro Latinx woman. With big family values and a home to upkeep and preparing for her grandchildren the list kept piling. This story goes through numbers 1-10 in English and Spanish, and each number represents a different activity she has to complete before she can go with him. We find out in the end she was preparing for her birthday party, and Senor Calavera understands and sneaks out the door. This book has semi realistic illustrations with pages that feel like you are apart of a Spanish village with the skeletons and their homes and food. The detailed illustrations help to make the story engaging and bring the text to life with more context. It even has a cat on each page students could look for. I would use this in my classroom with a counting activity, and allow them to count with partners aloud one in English and the other in Spanish. This would be more appropriate for readers age 6-10.
November 28, 2011
Genre: Children’s, Counting
Summary:
A skeleton named Senor Calavera arrives at the door of Grandma Beetle, thinking her to be an easy target. Using her wits and clever thinking she manages to escape his invitation and solicit his help in completing the tasks for her birthday party. By delaying his departure, Grandma Beetle entertains Senor Calavera and so enchants him that he does not take her away and promises to return to enjoy future festivities.
Using a combination of English and Spanish numbers, the tale incorporates each of Grandma’s activities in numerical sequence, counting from one to ten in both languages. As Grandma gets closer to the number ten, Senor Calavera gets more and more impatient until her purpose is clear and as the tenth guest at her party his attitude is altered.
Critique:
While the character of Senor Calavera, a skeleton, could be perceived as threatening, his character is drawn with a mild appearance of whimsy and his dialogue is carefully chosen to be demanding but not intimidating. For a young audience this concept of being taken away can be frightening, however, the author chose to bring in several aspects that are lighthearted and remove potential doom from the story.
The transformation of Senor Calavera is done well, as Grandma Beetle increasingly manipulates his character. Her light attitude and apparently ignorant state of mind are contrasted with his rising frustration, building a sense of wonder for the reader. In not disclosing the ending until the last few pages the reader is kept in suspense wondering who will be victorious.
Positives/Negatives:
The warm tones used in the illustrations give a sense a comfort and make Grandma’s home welcoming and inviting. Her kind face and perceptive eyes make her character both gentle and clever, complimenting her actions in the story. The unity of the story and the drawings provide further elaboration and reinforce the numerical element by focusing on whichever aspect is being counted.
The use of a larger font size for the numbers and an alternate font for the Spanish number clearly indicates for the reader, which words are important and allows for easy comparison between the two. Even if a reader could not comprehend all of the words on the page, the number words are effectively highlighted in both the text and the illustrations.
Examples:
At the end of the story as Grandma wraps Senor Calavera into her family gathering, making apparent the outcome, the text mirrors the welcoming attitude she uses as her tool to overcome. “’Now,’ Grandma Beetle said, ‘all my guests are here and together they make TEN.’ But the guests sitting at the table counted only nine. ‘Grandma,’ the children protested, ‘where’s guest number ten?’ ‘Here he is,’ she answered. ‘DIEZ. Number ten, of course, is Senor Calavera.’ “
As the story concludes, Grandma Beetle winks at the reader while the letter she receives from Senor Calavera is displayed on the opposing page. Her ingenuity is made clear in both the illustrations and the text. “Dear Grandma Beetle, Your birthday part was a scream! I had fun like never before. I wouldn’t miss your next birthday part for anything in the world.”
Curriculum Connection:
The history of this folktale provides a wonderful opportunity to explore the culture and traditions of another society. Even if the tale itself is not based on an actual historical story, it combines characters that are iconic in Mexican culture and can be combined with other historical tales that persist even today for comparison and symbolic analysis.
The element of numbers and counting from one to ten in both Spanish and English can make this book a wonderful read aloud. Inviting the audience to pronounce, echo, and point out the numbers while reading incorporates the students. In identifying each component of the story that is counted, students can say each number aloud in Spanish and English as the teacher points to the given item.
The moral of the story also gives a teacher a topic for both conversation and writing. Students can discuss what they believe the book is trying to teach the reader and why. Following this, students can write their own story, including a moral they identify. As students write successive drafts, peer review can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the character development and the text in delivering the message.
Summary:
A skeleton named Senor Calavera arrives at the door of Grandma Beetle, thinking her to be an easy target. Using her wits and clever thinking she manages to escape his invitation and solicit his help in completing the tasks for her birthday party. By delaying his departure, Grandma Beetle entertains Senor Calavera and so enchants him that he does not take her away and promises to return to enjoy future festivities.
Using a combination of English and Spanish numbers, the tale incorporates each of Grandma’s activities in numerical sequence, counting from one to ten in both languages. As Grandma gets closer to the number ten, Senor Calavera gets more and more impatient until her purpose is clear and as the tenth guest at her party his attitude is altered.
Critique:
While the character of Senor Calavera, a skeleton, could be perceived as threatening, his character is drawn with a mild appearance of whimsy and his dialogue is carefully chosen to be demanding but not intimidating. For a young audience this concept of being taken away can be frightening, however, the author chose to bring in several aspects that are lighthearted and remove potential doom from the story.
The transformation of Senor Calavera is done well, as Grandma Beetle increasingly manipulates his character. Her light attitude and apparently ignorant state of mind are contrasted with his rising frustration, building a sense of wonder for the reader. In not disclosing the ending until the last few pages the reader is kept in suspense wondering who will be victorious.
Positives/Negatives:
The warm tones used in the illustrations give a sense a comfort and make Grandma’s home welcoming and inviting. Her kind face and perceptive eyes make her character both gentle and clever, complimenting her actions in the story. The unity of the story and the drawings provide further elaboration and reinforce the numerical element by focusing on whichever aspect is being counted.
The use of a larger font size for the numbers and an alternate font for the Spanish number clearly indicates for the reader, which words are important and allows for easy comparison between the two. Even if a reader could not comprehend all of the words on the page, the number words are effectively highlighted in both the text and the illustrations.
Examples:
At the end of the story as Grandma wraps Senor Calavera into her family gathering, making apparent the outcome, the text mirrors the welcoming attitude she uses as her tool to overcome. “’Now,’ Grandma Beetle said, ‘all my guests are here and together they make TEN.’ But the guests sitting at the table counted only nine. ‘Grandma,’ the children protested, ‘where’s guest number ten?’ ‘Here he is,’ she answered. ‘DIEZ. Number ten, of course, is Senor Calavera.’ “
As the story concludes, Grandma Beetle winks at the reader while the letter she receives from Senor Calavera is displayed on the opposing page. Her ingenuity is made clear in both the illustrations and the text. “Dear Grandma Beetle, Your birthday part was a scream! I had fun like never before. I wouldn’t miss your next birthday part for anything in the world.”
Curriculum Connection:
The history of this folktale provides a wonderful opportunity to explore the culture and traditions of another society. Even if the tale itself is not based on an actual historical story, it combines characters that are iconic in Mexican culture and can be combined with other historical tales that persist even today for comparison and symbolic analysis.
The element of numbers and counting from one to ten in both Spanish and English can make this book a wonderful read aloud. Inviting the audience to pronounce, echo, and point out the numbers while reading incorporates the students. In identifying each component of the story that is counted, students can say each number aloud in Spanish and English as the teacher points to the given item.
The moral of the story also gives a teacher a topic for both conversation and writing. Students can discuss what they believe the book is trying to teach the reader and why. Following this, students can write their own story, including a moral they identify. As students write successive drafts, peer review can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the character development and the text in delivering the message.
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