Just in Case by Yuyi Morales

Morales, Yuyi. 2008. Just in Case: A Trickster Tale and Spanish Alphabet Book. New York: Roaring Brook Press. ISBN 9781596433298

Summary

It is Grandma Beetle's birthday and Señor Calavera is getting ready. Grandma Beetle is one of his best friends and he can't wait to go to her party. Suddenly Zelmiro the Ghost appears and reminds him that he has forgotten a gift for Grandma Beetle. Señor Calavera rushes home and gathers several items together that he thinks will be good gifts. As he rushes out the door again, Zelmiro asks if the gifts are what Grandma Beetle will love the most. Every time Señor Calavera goes out the door, Zelmiro's comments send him back inside to look for more presents. Will Señor Calavera ever make it to the party with the present Grandma Beetle will love the most?

Analysis

This book is beautifully illustrated. Originally from Mexico, writer and artist Yuyi Morales has won the Pura Belpré medal for illustration three times. Once for Los Gatos Black on Halloween, the second time for Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book and the third medal was for this book. The illustrations compliment the Spanish/English text perfectly because on each page there is something that is common in Mexican culture.

On the first page when we see Señor Calavera in his house, he looks like the skeletons used in Mexico to celebrate Day of the Dead. In his house are cempasúchil flowers. The cempasúchil flower is an orange marigold that is traditionally placed on alters and used in decorations during Day of the Dead celebrations. He also has painted dark wood furniture and a woven rug, both are in a traditional rustic Mexican style.

The items that Señor Calavera collects are named in Spanish with an English definition. For example he collects , "Bigotes. A mustache because she had none. Cosquillas. Tickles to make her laugh. Un CHflido. A whistle he trapped in a bag (Morales 2008)." The way it is written does not seem condescending to the monolingual or bilingual reader because the sentence provides added detail, not just repitition. The story part of the text is written in English.

One of the most interesting parts of this book are the illustrations. On each page are references to Mexican culture that an outsider might not understand. One of the gifts Señor Calavera gathers is a historieta and it is described as a one-of-a-kind comic book. It is that but it is also a short comic book based on an historical event. Another gift is a lotería which is a kind of bingo game palyed in Mexico. The first picture on the card is called the artist and it is a picture of Frida Kahlo. When Senor Calavera gathers up fifteen years to give to Grandma Beetle, the accompanying illustration is a cake with a girl on top. It is a cake for a Mexican girl's fifteenth birthday or Quinceañera. There is also a blue butterfly in a different place on each page for the kids to find.

It is really neat how this book includes so much Mexican culture in such a subtle way. It would also be very encouraging to a Mexican or Mexican American child to see their culture depicted in such a positive and beautiful manner. This book can also be a good way to introduce children to Mexican culture. I strongly recommend this book award winning book.

Connections
This book can be used to teach Mexican culture, including Day of the Dead.
Children could use this book as a model to create their own alphabet books.
This book could be used for a scavenger hunt. Kids could be divided into teams to see who can find the most Mexican cultural references.
Children could create their own historietas.

Review Excerpts
In School Library Journal Mary Jean Smith writes, "Luminous, jewel-tone spreads chronicle the collection of gifts and pay homage to a rich Mexican culture."

According to Ann Bryan Nelson in Library Media Connection, "Several of the gifts could provide book extension activities, and many clever connections could be made for hilarious activities on Halloween or Day of the Dead or for a cultural fair during reading month."

Works Cited
Morales, Yuyi. 2008. Just in Case: A Trickster Tale and Spanish Alphabet Book. New York: Roaring Brook Press.

Nelson, Ann Bryan. 2009. "Just in Case: A Trickster Tale and Spanish Alphabet Book." Library Media Connection 27, no. 6: 62. Academic Search Complete Database (accessed July 8, 2009).

Smith, Mary Jean. 2008. "Just in Case: A Trikster Tale and Spanish Alphabet Book." School Library Journal 54, no. 9: 155-156 Academic Search Complete Database (accessed July 8, 2009).