Just In Case: A Trickster Tale and Spanish Alphabet Book

The wonderfully talented picture-book creator Yuyi Morales, who first explored the story of Señor Calavera ("Mr Skull") and Grandma Beetle in her Just a Minute!: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book, revisits the pair here, in this immensely engaging alphabet book. As Señor Calavera sets out to attend his friend's birthday party, he is waylaid by Zelmiro the Ghost, who reminds him that he must bring a present—something the recipient will love. As our skeletal hero begins selecting gifts, from A to Z, Zelmiro keeps reminding him that it is the recipient who matters. When Señor Calavera finally amasses a wealth of gifts, and then an accident destroys them, it seems all is lost. Fortunately however, he has something to bring after show more all—Zelmiro himself, who is the ghost of Grandma Beetle's husband...

Just In Case: A Trickster Tale and Spanish Alphabet Book was awarded a Pura Belpré Award for illustration and a Pura Belpré Honor for Narrative—two distinctions that were very much deserved. The artwork (as always, with Morales) was gorgeous, utilizing a lovely color palette and beautifully stylized figures, capturing the humorous and heartwarming aspects of the story to perfection. The visuals here have a Day of the Dead feeling—I have seen this one pop up on Day of the Dead picture-book lists—although it does not directly address that holiday. The story itself is engaging, with a repetitive structure that works the alphabetic part of the book into a larger narrative about birthdays, parties and gifts (not to mention loved ones!). There's plenty of Spanish vocabulary—the gifts are presented in Spanish and then in English—making this an excellent book for use with ESL students, as well as a wider audience looking for creative alphabet books. show less

Señor Calavera is a jaunty skeleton on his way, by bike, to Grandma Beetle’s birthday party when he is frightened by a moan from beyond the grave. But don’t worry- it’s just Zelmiro the Ghost who wants to make sure his skeleton friend brings Grandma Beetle the present she’ll love the most. Through an alphabetical panoply of gifts Señor Calavera is led by Zelmiro. He gets Grandma Beetle “un Acordeón for her to dance to… Dientes, teeth for a good bite… un Jaguar, to keep her safe.” But Zelmiro keeps urging Señor Calavera to find more gifts and the hour is getting late. Through “Vainilla,” “una W to have two v’s, for when one is not enough” and Yerbabuena, Señor Calavera endures Zelmiro’s requests. But, show more worried about the hour, he speeds away and all the gifts break. In a surprise ending, it turns out all is not lost as Señor Calavera finally realizes what, or rather whom, Grandma Beetle, whose real name is Señora Zelmiro, would love the most as a birthday present.

Just in Case is “a Trickster Tale” because it is part of a folkloric tradition of stories with a twist ending that teach an unexpected lesson. With great whimsy and a captivating artistic style, Morales introduces us not only to a great many Mexican objects and concepts, but to some of the themes that are central to so much Latino literature: the importance of family, a delight in celebrations and beauty, and a sense of fluidity between the realms of the living and the dead.

In addition to being a neat example of how the bounds of the alphabet book genre can be stretched, Just in Case can be used in book talks or story times for grade school audiences, that emphasize the joys of bilingualism. The story’s spooky but sweet message and aesthetic make it an easy sell for reader’s advisory requests for “scary books” from very young children.This is also a great book to recommend to teachers looking for Day of the Dead materials with a narrative. All that aside, it’s simply a high quality and original picture book that belongs in all library collections, either with the easy books or shelved for a slightly older audience.

It is interesting to note how libraries play into Yuyi Morales’ personal and artistic history. A 2009 article in Criticás Magazine tells her story: “Fourteen years ago, when she had just moved from Mexico as a new mother and did not know enough English to freely move around, Morales found refuge at her local public library…She was so mesmerized by the children’s collection that she decided to start making her own stories, writing, illustrating, and binding her own picture books for her young son.” As librarians serve our customers from day to day it’s easy to forget that we may be providing a place of refuge, or inspiration. The more libraries provide inclusive, responsive service and diverse, rich collections the more likely we are to hear stories like this.

References:

Diego, Ximena. "A Library of Her Own—How Yuyi Morales Found Her Way." Criticas 15 Feb 2008: Web. 7 Feb 2010. show less

I adore everything about this book. The illustrations demonstrate aspects of Latin American culture in a stunning, accessible, appropriate, and not to mention adorable way. The colors, the lines, and the textures are simultaneously rich and vibrant. This unconventional Spanish alphabet book’s synthesis of Spanish and English is informational yet lighthearted. It’s certainly odd to say that a book focused on a ghost and a skeleton is lighthearted, but the plot is so touching and the characters are so friendly and loving that it overcomes any possible spookiness. I think this book could be a wonderful teaching tool, or perfect staple in any household, bilingual or not.

I liked this book for three reasons. First, the illustrations were beautiful and colorful. The colors are bright and they keep the eyes wanting more, they contribute great to the story and can help with comprehension. Second, there is repetition in the story that makes it welcoming to read. You are always looking forward to what Grandpa Zelmiro may say and what Señor Calavera will find next, just in case... Finally, there are Spanish and English words throughout the story. There is the whole Spanish alphabet along with a word for each letter. This makes it a fun read where you can learn a few new words of a different language without hardly noticing it. I think the main idea of this story is that materialistic things do not matter when show more you have all your loved ones. show less

Señor Calavera in the Pura Belpré award winning book "Just In Case" is preparing himself to go to Grandma Beetle's birthday party. As he leaves his house, he is stopped by Zelmiro the Ghost, who reminds him that he has forgotten to get a present for Grandma Beetle. Señor Calavera then starts looking for presents alongside Zelmiro by going through the alphabet and naming off presents one by one. They say the gift's name in Spanish and define it in English, going from A to Z. With each item they name, they are directly interacting with it and teaching the reader Spanish words with beautiful illustrations. As Señor Calavera is gathering all of these gifts, he decides to stop at the letter "y", but then he ends up ruining all of the show more gifts he had been collecting. He then decides to bring the gift Grandma Beetle loved the most: Zelmiro. Everyone's reaction at the party, including Grandma Beetle's, shows how meaningful this is for them.
Overall, this book is great for introducing readers to a new language. With how it incorporates Spanish and English words equally, it helps guide the reader to understand the meaning of certain words. Along with the words, the illustrations are amazing. When Señor Calavera meets Zelmiro, the background color and Zelmiro start at a bright red and flow through the colors of the rainbow with each passing page. With this happening, it brings out the line work and details of the gifts and truly display the main focal points of each page perfectly. This choice of coloring also invokes emotions. When Señor Calavera ruins his gifts for Grandma Beetle, the background color and Zelmiro are blue, showing sadness for the situation at hand. When Zelmiro is brought to the party by Señor Calavera, the background is bright orange with Zelmiro looking like his human self again while wearing a bright pink shirt, expressing happiness and love. Overall, this book is beautifully written and illustrated. The educational story and mesmerizing images flow from one page to the next, making it a visually stimulating experience that I recommend to all students to read and to teachers to introduce in their classrooms. show less

This book is about a skeleton that wants to visit his old friend for her birthday party. Each time he is about to leave his friend, a ghost, reminds him to take her something as a present. He gives him ideas of giving her a presents that each start with the a different letter from the alphabet. Once he has a present representing each letter he trips and drops all the presents, in the end he decides to bring the ghost who used to be the lady's husband having a grand, surprising, yet sweet ending.

I would love to use this story in my classroom, especially if I end up teaching kindergarten. The translingual model teaches students the alphabet while accommodating bilingual classrooms. The illustrations add so much vibrance to the story and the themes and items discussed are extremely culturally significant. We need more bilingual/translingual stories like this in classrooms!