Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book by Yuyi Morales
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Morales, Yuyi. 2003. Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book. San Francisco
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Early one morning, Señor Calavera comes to take Grandma Beetle away, but she has a busy day ahead of her! “Just a minute” she tells him, she has one chore to do, so he waits patiently. But she isn’t finished, for now she has two pots of tea to boil. Again, he waits, but each time she finishes a task, she moves on to the next which frustrates poor Señor Calavera. Eventually Señor Calavera helps her with three pounds of corn, four fruits to slice, five cheeses to melt, six pots of food to cook, seven piñatas to fill and eight plates of food to set on the table! Finally, Grandma Beetle is finished! But, here come her nine grandchildren! She invites Señor Calavera to sit at the table and be her tenth special guest at the birthday party he has been helping her to prepare for all day! Once the party was over, Grandma Beetle was content and finally ready to go with Señor Calavera, but he was gone and left a note behind. He explains how much fun he had at her party and that he will see her next year!
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Yuyi Morales has created not only an original trickster tale with a theme of death and celebration but she has also written this book as a way to help young children learn Spanish numbers one through ten. Morales makes an interlingual use of Spanish in the text in a natural and easy to follow way. On every page, while Grandma Beetle is counting, the text shows the English number in big, bold letters. Señor Calavera then repeats the number in Spanish, and it is also in bold letters, bigger than the rest of the text on the page. The entire book takes place in various rooms at Grandma Beetle’s home, so the time period and specific setting are relatively unknown.
Many Hispanic cultural markers are present as Grandma Beetle prepares for her party. She pounds corn using traditional, old fashioned instruments so she can make homemade tortillas. Papayas are cut up into fruit salad and large pots of food are cooked. Seven colorful piñatas in the shape of birds, donkeys, turtles, butterflies and many more are stuffed full for her grandchildren to break open. The birthday celebration with the whole family and Señor Calavera invited is typical of the kind of welcoming value system typical in the Hispanic culture.
The illustrations, also by Yuyi Morales, look as though they came straight from a Dia de los Muertos celebration. The colors are deep and rich, and Grandma Beetle’s house appears to be made in a traditional Mexican style. Brightly colored tiles surround the door frames and trail along the walls. Every wall has been painted a different color. Grandma Beetle has the appearance of a typical gray haired grandmother, with a polka dot dress and overcoat, but she occasionally winks at the reader, hinting at her plan to trick Señor Calavera. She and her grandchildren all have slightly brown skin and large dark eyes and the children all have dark hair in various shades consistent with general portrayals of people within the Hispanic culture.
Although Señor Calavera is shown as a full skeleton, he is illustration in such a way as to be appealing rather than frightening. His mouth, eyes, nose and eyebrows are all brightly decorated, and with flowers in his eyes and designs along most of his bones, he is completely non-threatening.
The Hispanic culture has a tradition of being open, honest and celebratory about death and dying. Morales has created this trickster tale to joke about the way Grandma Beetle is able to distract Death (Señor Calavera) and make him forget why he had come to get her. While very young children may not understand who Señor Calavera is and why he wants Grandma Beetle, they will enjoy the joking and tricking and the bright illustrations are eye-catching.
4. AWARDS & REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Pura Belpre Medal for Best Illustration 2004
Parent's Choice Award Winner 2003CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center
Pura Belpre Medal for Best Illustration 2004
Parent's Choice Award Winner 2003
Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award 2004
Latino Literary Award for Best Children's Book 2004
Latino Literary Award for Best Children's Book 2004
Starred review in Kirkus: “Lit with dancing lines and warm colors, Morales' illustrations enhance the appeal of this winning story even further.”
Starred review in Booklist: “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.”
5. CONNECTIONS
* Señor Calavera has his own website, created by Yuyi Morales. Craft and enrichment activities are available: http://www.srcalavera.com/chupirul.html
* Reader’s Guide for Just a Minute from Chronicle Books: http://www.chroniclebooks.com/landing-pages/pdfs/Just_A_min.pdf
*Other books written by Yuyi Morales:
Just in Case: A Trickster Tale and Spanish Alphabet Book. ISBN 9781596433298
(Featuring Señor Calavera)
Little Night. ISBN 9781596430884
* Other books illustrated by Yuyi Morales:
Johnston, Tony. Mi Abuelita. ISBN 9780152163303
Krull, Kathleen. Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez. ISBN 9780152014377
Montes, Marisa. Los Gatos
White, Amanda. Sand Sister. ISBN 9781841486178
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