Title: Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book
Author and Illustrator: Yuyi Morales
Publication Date: 2003
Summary
When
Senor Calavera comes knocking on Grandma Beetle's door, she
tells him, "just a minute." It is her birthday and she is very
busy preparing a feast for her nine adoring grandchildren. Senor
Calavera hesitantly agrees to wait for her to finish preparing for this
special day, following her through the kitchen as she counts, in
English and in Spanish, the number of tasks she must complete for this
fiesta. As the visitor grows impatient, Grandma Beetle
continues to tell him, "just a minute." When the grandchildren
arrive, Senor
Calavera joins the family for the
birthday party then slips out the backdoor leaving just a note for
Grandma Beetle behind.Suggestions
for Parents
Ask your child to predict what
will happen throughout the story.
Point to the words as you read them, emphasizing the number words
(which are in bold font) in English and Spanish. Also, slow down
as you read the repetitive line, "just a minute, Senor
Calavera," because your child might catch on to this pattern and be
able to join in with you as you read this phrase. Ask your child
what food your family might prepare for a gathering. Also, if
your child is familiar with the Dia de Los Muertos skeleton icon,
he or she might understand the reason for which Senor
Calavera is visiting Grandma
Beetle. If you child
appears anxious about this, address this anxiety in whatever way you
feel is appropriate. I suspect, however, that most children will
find this story humorous, as Grandma Beetle successfully tricks Senor
Calavera.Strategies for
Classroom Use
Reading this book with students provides
an opportunity
for those children familiar with Dia de Los Muertos to discuss
their relevant cultural experiences with their peers. Spanish-speaking
students might especially delight in a book that incorporates their
language. Educators
can emphasize the repetitive
phrase, "just minute, Senor
Calavera," as
well as the numbers one through ten in Spanish and
English. Further, with the repeated title phrase and
counting pattern, this book could serve as a model for the creation of
a classroom book, for which each student could be assigned a number and
asked to identify and illustrate the corresponding number of items that
the class could prepare for a similar fiesta. This would
highlight students' own food experiences and provide a rich context of
English food vocabulary for English Language Learners and native
English speakers alike.
Title: The Empty Pot
Author and Illustrator: Demi
Publication Date: 1990
Summary
The Chinese Emporer needs to find a wise child with
integrity to
succeed him to the throne. Distrubuting one seed to each child in
the kingdom, the Emporer declares that the child who can show him his
or her best gardening skills after one year will inherit rule of the
kingdom. Having cultivated many different flowers, trees, and
bushes himself, Ping is confident that he can help the seed grow into a
magnificant plant. With loving attention and meticulous care,
Ping tries his best to help his seed grow; however, it never
sprouts. The day finally arrives for all of the children to
display their seed's progress for the Emporer. Seeing other
children's beautiful plants, Ping is ashamed and sad that his seed has
not sprouted and is hesitant to journey to the palace. Ping's
father insists that he report to the Emporer, reminding his son that he
tried his best to help the seed to grow. With all of the
children packed into the palace, the Emporer inspects all of the
plants, frowning as he strolls through the crowd. When he sets
his eyes on Ping's pot, a smile spreads across the Emporer's face, as
he has found the one honest child in all of the kingdom. Indeed,
the Emporer cooked all of the seeds, so that none of them should have
sprouted. The children who bring the Emporer pots filled with
plants have not completed the assignment honestly. To reward Ping
for his integrity and courage to show his true planting results, the
Emporer crowns Ping as the new Chinese ruler. Suggestions for Parents
Ask your child to predict what will happen throughout the
story.
Ask your child to describe the illustrations - the colors, the style,
etc. - then share your own thoughts with him or her. You can
point out to your child that although Ping's seed does not grow, he
invests a signifcant amount of time into trying to help it to
grow. You can also talk about hobbies about which you and other
family members feel passionate, like Ping's love for gardening.Strategies for Classroom Use
Educators can ask students to identify and discuss the
reasons for
which Ping was awarded the Chinese throne. Does he deserve
it? Why? Will he be a good Emporer? Why or why
not? With its distinctive Chinese art illustrations, this book
could also be tied into a Chinese art lesson in watercolor. 
