Just a Minute! A Trickster Tale and Counting Book

I enjoyed "Just A Minute" by Yuyi Morales for many reasons. First, it was colorful and fun. The text itself was simple and easy for a younger child to follow while still having a good entertainment quality. The book also introduced counting in Spanish, which is a helpful tool to have. "Just A Minute" is a fantasy book because a talking skeleton arrives at a woman's door to take her away. I think what makes this book great is the characterization that Morales uses to develop her characters. We have Senor Calavera, a skeleton who has arrived to take Grandma Beetle away. He is insistent and in a hurry, but eventually learns to be patient and has a great time at Grandma beetle's party. Grandma Beetle is a kind woman who works hard in her show more home and teaches Senor Calavera to be patient and enjoy himself. I would use this book in a kindergarten class to introduce and review counting in Spanish. I would also use it to discuss other cultures, perhaps around Dia de los Muertos. show less

When Senor Calavera comes knocking at Grandma Beetle's door, she keeps delaying him by saying she has one more task to do. At the end, she is ready for a big party to celebrate her birthday, with the guest of honor being Senor Calavera. He has so much fun that he decides he won't rob himself of the opportunity of attending Grandma Beetle's party each coming year.

This is a fun twist on the traditional counting book. While we do indeed see numbers one through 10 featured (in English and in Spanish), there is far more story here than in your run-of-the-mill counting book. My only issue with the story is that it's not particularly clear for young readers that Senor Calavera is playing the role of 'grim reaper' here and the place he is show more trying to whisk Grandma Beetle off to is her own death. Without that understanding, the ending falls a bit flat. All in all though, this book has an interesting premise accompanied by vibrantly colored illustrations and a dash of Spanish vocabulary peppering the text. show less

Death comes for Grandma Beetle in the form of Señor Calavera (Mr. Skull). Grandma, in the tradition of trickster fables, delays her departure with Señor Calavera repeatedly, until her grandchildren arrive for her birthday party. With each task she must complete, the English and Spanish words for the numbers one through ten are emphasized in bold on each page. Finally, Grandma seats Señor Calavera at the table for the celebration, declaring him the tenth and final guest. After the party concludes, Grandma looks for Señor Calavera, but he has gone, leaving a note expressing his appreciation for a lovely time and promise to return next year for her birthday. This book has an awful lot going on, starting with it being a simple counting show more book that teaches numbers one through ten in English and Spanish. You also get a very Hispanic trickster tale reminiscent of also 1001 Arabian Nights, where a woman outsmarts something conventionally more powerful than she, in this case Death. The treatment of Death like a physical entity that can be influenced is also a common theme that is used here as well. show less

Just a Minute is a fun and lively trickster tale that also teaches counting in both English and Spanish. Yuyi Morales’ vibrant illustrations bring the playful story to life as the main character, Senor Calavera, tries to trick a grandmother into letting him take her life away. What I love about this book is how it blends humor, culture, and learning, making it a delightful read for kids while also teaching important lessons about time, counting, and respect. Great for grades K-3.

When Señor Calavera, a dapper skeleton in a bowler hat, comes to call on Grandma Beetle, she puts him off with her quick thinking and her charming manner. "I will go with you right away," the pokerfaced, pleasingly plump woman promises. "I have just one house to sweep." After waiting patiently, Señor Calavera counts, "UNO One swept house," and assumes they will exit in short order. But the wily matriarch has a houseful of bilingually enumerated items with which to stall him (three stacks of tortillas to make, seven piñatas, etc.) and soon recruits the bony fellow to help. And with good reason: her nine (nueve ) grandchildren are coming over to celebrate her birthday. Finally, having kissed all her grandchildren goodbye, Grandma show more announces that she's ready to go—but Señor Calavera has had such a good time as the party's 10th guest that he has already exited, leaving only a note that he'll be back for her party next year. show less

A trickster tale and a counting book. The trickster tale by far is what made me enjoy this book. For me the counting aspect of this book takes a back seat to the trickster tale. The counting is very minimal and I believe it gets lost in the story, only one through ten, each number is stated in the story once (once in English and once in Spanish). Evaluating this book solely on the counting concept I would give this book a half of a star, also the figures that are being counted are not everyday things most children will recoqnize. The illustrations and the story trickster tale is what brings this book to life. The illustrations are different and unique, I love how the skeleton is drawn. The pictures are full of color and represent a show more Caribbean/Latino feel of the characters, tortillas, pinatas, etc... The skeleton Senor Calavera (a skeleton what I believe is the day of the dead) is at the house of Grandma Beetle, to what I assume is her time to go to the world of the dead. Grandma Beetle, tells the Senor Calavera that she will go away with him but she performs chores around the house. Senor Calavera waits and waits to only give her a note stating that he will be back on her birthday next year.
Some may question the skeleton in a children book, a symbol of death... but the skeleton provides intrigue and may spark curiosity instead of fear.
My favorite scene is when Senor Calavera is wearing an apron and giving Grandma Beetle a hand in the kitchen, helping her with an electric mixer.
Age group preschool - kindergarten. show less

This book took me by surprise, I didn't know what the counting and waiting was all leading up to. I really enjoyed the way the author would make the reader say the number in English then in Spanish and then one more time on English to make sure they made the connection. I can imagine reading this to a class and asking to repeat after me by sayin the number, and making the connections to the items they were counting. This was a lovely book.