I would love to use this story in my classroom, especially if I end up teaching kindergarten. The translingual model teaches students the alphabet while accommodating bilingual classrooms. The illustrations add so much vibrance to the story and the themes and items discussed are extremely culturally significant. We need more bilingual/translingual stories like this in classrooms!

I really enjoyed this book. It was about a skeleton who was going to Grandma Beetle's birthday party. Zelmiro, the ghost, reminded Senor Calavera that he forgot a present, so he starts going through the alphabet and picking up presents for Grandma Beetle, one for each letter of the alphabet. The alphabet used is Spanish, but the descriptions are in English. I would recommend this book for primary students because it is a good representation of Spanish culture and has lots of fun colors.

The wonderfully talented picture-book creator Yuyi Morales, who first explored the story of Señor Calavera ("Mr Skull") and Grandma Beetle in her Just a Minute!: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book, revisits the pair here, in this immensely engaging alphabet book. As Señor Calavera sets out to attend his friend's birthday party, he is waylaid by Zelmiro the Ghost, who reminds him that he must bring a present—something the recipient will love. As our skeletal hero begins selecting gifts, from A to Z, Zelmiro keeps reminding him that it is the recipient who matters. When Señor Calavera finally amasses a wealth of gifts, and then an accident destroys them, it seems all is lost. Fortunately however, he has something to bring after all—Zelmiro himself, who is the ghost of Grandma Beetle's husband...

Just In Case: A Trickster Tale and Spanish Alphabet Book was awarded a Pura Belpré Award for illustration and a Pura Belpré Honor for Narrative—two distinctions that were very much deserved. The artwork (as always, with Morales) was gorgeous, utilizing a lovely color palette and beautifully stylized figures, capturing the humorous and heartwarming aspects of the story to perfection. The visuals here have a Day of the Dead feeling—I have seen this one pop up on Day of the Dead picture-book lists—although it does not directly address that holiday. The story itself is engaging, with a repetitive structure that works the alphabetic part of the book into a larger narrative about birthdays, parties and gifts (not to mention loved ones!). There's plenty of Spanish vocabulary—the gifts are presented in Spanish and then in English—making this an excellent book for use with ESL students, as well as a wider audience looking for creative alphabet books. ( )

Pura Belpré winner, sequel to Just A Minute (a trickster tale and counting book). Señor Calavera prepares to attend Grandma Beetle's birthday party, but first, he has to find the perfect present - the thing she would love the most. But what could that be? He collects something that begins with each letter of the alphabet, but a bicycle crash sends all his carefully collected gifts flying. Still, he ends up bringing the best gift of all - (the ghost of) Grandpa Zelmiro! ( )