Just a Minute
Presented by Taryn Beck EDEL 414 Section B
Information About the Book
Title: Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book
Author: Yuyi Morales
Illustrator: Yuyi Morales
Genre: Non-Fiction
Topic/Theme: Good will overcome evil.
Awards, Honors, and Prizes:
- America's Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature
- California Book Awards
- Golden Kite Award
- Latino Book Awards
- Northern California Book Award
- Parents' Choice Award
- Pura Belpre Award
- Tomas Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award
Morales, Y. (2003). Just a minute: A trickster tale and counting book. Chronicle Books LLC.
About the Author and Illustrator
Yuyi Morales was born in Mexico and immigrated to the United States in 2004. She was raised by her grandmothers and has used that as well as her heritage and the magical stories that she grew up with to give her inspiration for her books. She received the Pura Belpre Award in 2004 for her illustrations in Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book. She currently resides in Northern California.
An Illustration from the Book
Acrylic and mixed media on paper are used in this book. Yuyi Morales is able to capture the emotions of Grandma Beetle and her grandchildren with the acrylic paint. She is also able to get many vibrant colors as well with this type of media.
Criteria for High Quality Multicultural Literature
- This book demonstrates unique language or style. This book not only counts up to ten in English, but it Spanish as well. This allows children to see a language that is different than their own.
- This book is rich in cultural details. This book has Señor Galavera's face painted like the skulls used in the Day of the Dead celebration that is celebrated in the Mexican Culture. This book also shows Grandma Beetle filling piñatas with candy. Piñatas are used in the Mexican culture during different celebrations.
- This book includes a member of a "minority" group for a purpose other than filling a "quota." The characters in this book are all from the Mexican culture. They are not used as a filling "quota." Grandma Beetle and Señor Galavera, a skeleton, are the main characters of this book.
Just a Minute Lesson Plan Idea
Grade Level: 2nd
CCSS. RL. 2.5 Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.
The students will identify the beginning, middle, and end of a story by retelling what Grandma Beetle had to do to get ready for her grandchildren to come over.
Lesson Procedure:
- The lesson will begin during calendar time. The teacher will show the students pictures of what they do each morning. The teacher will then ask the students what they do first, what they do next, and what they do at the end. The teacher will then tell the class that this sequence is the begging, middle, and end of their morning.
- The teacher will then introduce the book, Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book by Yuyi Morales. The teacher will tell the class that they will need to keep an eye out on the events that happen throughout the story so that they can recall the beginning, middle, and end of the story. Since the story has both English and Spanish numbers in it the teacher will point these out to the students as they come up in the story.
- The teacher will then read the book to the students. The teacher will pause while reading the book so that the students can take in the illustrations and the words on each of the pages. As the teacher is reading the book the teacher will ask the students What did Grandma Beetle have to do first when Señor Galavera came to visit her? What did Grandma Beetle have to do next? How many pounds of corn did Grandma Beetle have to make into tortillas? What happened at the end of the the end of the story?
- After the teacher has finished reading the teacher will have the students create a short story with a beginning, middle, and end. After the students have created their stories they will be able to share them with the rest of the class.
Just a Minute:A Trickster Tale and Counting Book by tmbeck