Just a Minute: A Trickster
Tale and Counting Book
Book Review:
What do you do when Death comes to your birthday party? You invite
him in, and say, "Just a minute!" You have too many chores
to do to leave so soon; he'll just have to be patient.
When Señor Calavera, the tall skinny skeleton, comes to fetch
Grandma Beetle, he can't quite get her out of the house. "Just
a minute!" she refrains. First, she must sweep one house, and then
she must boil two pots of tea, and then make three pounds of corn into
tortillas--on and on, until even Señor Calavera is joining in
on the fun for her birthday party, and promising to return next year
for the celebration.
Just a Minute is a counting book for pre-school children, but
it will also engage older children by introducing the complex and mature
subject of death in a non-threatening, even playful way. For older children,
it can also be used in libraries and classrooms to introduce the trickster
figure in folktales, and would be well paired with titles from other
cultures, such as Gerald McDermott's Anansi the Spider, and his
trickster tale series, including Raven, Coyote and Zomo
the Rabbit.
Morales' illustrations are full of rich colors, warm hues, and lots
of movement, producing a magical feel. Folk art style adds to the flavor
of the story. Señor Calavera resembles a Día de los
muertos figure. The people are represented as round and bold, similar
to those painted by Mexican painter Diego Rivera. Mexican elements--papel
picado, chile peppers, and piñatas--are included
as images in the story. Just a Minute received the Pura Belpré
Illustrator Award in 2004 for the art's richness in cultural elements.
The visual experience and the multi-layered content of Just a Minute
will delight children of all ages.
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