Review by Booklist Review
The title page includes an invitation to Grandma Beetle's birthday party, and Señor Calavera can't wait to go. A moan from beyond the grave reminds the not-too-scary dapper skeleton that he's forgetting a present. Zelmiro the ghost admonishes Calavera to choose something that Grandma Beetle will love the most. What follows is an alphabetic array, from Un acordeon, An accordion for her to dance to, to yerba buena. Good herb to soothe her day. With each gift Calavera chooses, Zelmiro praises the skeleton's choices but cautions him to keep searching just in case . . . Drenched in rich hues, the light-filled illustrations add a whimsical dimension to this trickster tale and Spanish alphabet book. When disaster strikes and all the presents fly from Calavera's bike basket, there is nonetheless a happy ending that brings both story and alphabet to a rollicking conclusion. This companion to Morales' award-winning Just a Minute (2003) will be a hit for storytime.--Austin, Patricia Copyright 2008 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Here is an alphabet book starring the hero of el Dia de los muertos, the Day of the Dead: Senor Calevera-Mister Skeleton. Senor Calevera is on his way to Grandma Beetle's birthday bash. Along the way he picks up presents in alphabetical order. Zelmiro the ghost continues prompting Senor Calevera to get more presents, "just in case.." Just before he gets to Grandma Beetle's house, he crashes on his bike, destroying all the carefully gathered gifts. But there is no need to worry, there's a happy ending in the offing. Morales brilliantly captures the fabric of Latino life and culture. From the details of Senor Calevera's candy-skull head, to a loteria card, and a lucha libre poster, this is Latino life in all its boldly colored magic. There's just the right blend of English and Spanish and a unique style of illustration that results in a perfectly mixed concoction which holds universal appeal, regardless of one's language or cultural background. (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
(Preschool, Primary) Senor Calavera (a dapper skeleton) is bound for Grandma Beetle's birthday party on his jaunty pink bike. Following him is Zelmiro, a dia-phanous ghost who hovers like a white-mustachioed cloud, insisting, "Aren't you forgetting something?" Indeed, Senor Calavera has forgotten to bring a present for Grandma Beetle; but Zelmiro reassures him that he will find the right gift, for "the best present to give a friend is the thing she would love the most." Wanting to get it right, Senor Calavera packs gift after gift, and the array forms a Spanish alphabet ("Dientes. Teeth for a good bite. Una Escalera. A ladder to reach past the sky... Yerbabuena. A good herb to soothe her day"); they also suggest what enriches Grandma's life -- instructions for finding what's lost; games to play with grandchildren; a seed. Alas, fearful now of missing Grandma's party, the good senor pedals too fast and tumbles. "Oh, dear!...All of his beautiful presents -- ruined." Still, all is well: in a sweetly surreal conclusion, "Grandpa Zelmiro" materializes into full, corporeal color, embodying exactly what Grandma loves most -- and the requisite Z, too. Morales's full-bleed art, in brilliant sunset hues, portrays an amiable, dreamlike world where weightless, comfortably rounded figures swirl joyously among the creative assemblage of gifts. Whether Grandma gets another "Quince anos" or, as the sparkles in her hair suggest, joins her Zelmiro sooner, it will be a happy outcome. What a beguiling (and bilingual) offering! From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
