Just a minute! A trickster Tale and Counting Book.

A picture book by Yuyi Morales that won the Pura Belpre award for Latina writer and illustrator. The illustrations and colors depict decorative Latina drawings. The story is about Grandma Beetle who gets a knock at the door from Senor Calavera. He is there to take her, but before she must go with him, she must work on certain tasks throughout her home. Senor Calavera begrudgingly agrees to let her finish her tasks, but her tasks start to take longer than he expected. Throughout the tasks, Grandma recounts what she is doing, and each task is followed by a sequential number after each task that leads to ten. The end of the story is a positive message with a clever ending. Another book by this author is called Bright Start (2021), which was well received.

Social studies teachers can this book as a pre-reading activity for comparing cultural traditions like cooking, holidays, and language in Mexican culture with other cultures.

Morales, Y. (2003). Just a minute! A Trickster Tale and Counting Book. Chronicle Books.