By: Claudia Guadalupe Martnez / Illustrated by: Laura Gonzlez
Translated by Carlos E. Calvo

Un frijol saltarn mexicano no es un frijol en absoluto. Es un fascinante hogar y fuente de alimento para un tipo especial de oruga!

Este cuento potico comparte el ciclo de vida de un frijol saltarn mexicano. Este curioso insecto saltarn es en realidad una vaina de semilla de un arbusto llamado yerba de la flecha, en la cual una oruga se adentra, viviendo dentro de la vaina hasta que construye un capullo y emerge como una polilla. Perfecto para preescolares y nios que an no leen, este creativo libro ilustrado explora la vida diaria del frijol saltarn mexicano y su eventual transformacin y escape de la vaina.

A Mexican jumping bean isn’t a bean at all. It’s a fascinating home and food source for a special kind of caterpillar!

With a clever counting concept, this poetic story shares the life cycle of a Mexican jumping bean. This curious jumping insect is actually a seedpod from a shrub called yerba de la flecha, into which a caterpillar burrows, living inside the pod until it builds a cocoon and breaks out as a moth. Perfect for preschoolers and prereaders, this creative picture book explores the Mexican jumping bean’s daily life and eventual transformation and escape from the pod.

If you like this book, youll enjoy these:
Cincuenta en la cebra: Contando con los animales/Fifty on the Zebra: Counting With the Animals
Bugs for Lunch/Insectos para el almuerzo
No es un monstruo

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Look Inside

Author & Illustrator

Claudia Guadalupe Martinez, author

Claudia Guadalupe Martnez grew up in sunny El Paso, Texas where she learned that letters form words from reading the subtitles of old westerns with her father. She now lives with her husband and 3 children in Chicago.

Read more about Claudia.

Laura Gonzalez, illustrator

Read more about Laura.

Awards & Honors

• A 2025 Bank Street Colleges Best Children’s Books of the Year in Spanish title

• A 2024-2025 Tejas Star Reading List title

Editorial Reviews

Booklist

This story follows the metamorphosis of a desert caterpillar within its seedpod home. It eats the inside and drinks the moisture produced by the plant until the hardened pod drops to the ground. The caterpillar is able to move the pod in a way that makes it seem to be jumping, hence its reputation as a jumping bean. The jumping bean travels through the desert startling the animals it encounters. First, it meets rattlesnakes, making clic, clac! noises like the snakes tails. Then, it startles some coyotes and ravens with its movements and sounds. Lastly, a group of children gather several of the beans, delighted by their unusual behavior. Eventually, the caterpillar begins to change within its pod and emerges as a full-grown moth. This Spanish translation of Not a Bean (2019) is at a higher level than many picture books, making it a great choice for primary-grade readers. The text is well supported by Gonzlezs illustrations, which detail the process of the caterpillars transformation well, and an informative authors note.

School Library Journal

Part story, part poem, part non-fiction book, this Spanish translation of Not a Bean is a winning combo. Told with lyricism, Martnez’s text explains the life cycle of the Cydia saltitans, a moth that lays its eggs inside of a seed pod. Once its dry, the seeds fall on the ground with a growing larva inside. As the little critter shifts inside the pod, it moves, so its best known as a Mexican jumping bean, though its clear from the title that the pod is not, in fact, a bean. With a desert setting rendered at various times of day, in blues and tans, and with an increasing number of local fauna, this beautifully illustrated book is a crowd pleaser. It’s a great choice for those learning the language or who are already fluent. An authors note offers more facts about this fascinating bug. VERDICT A gorgeous nonfiction title recommended for all Spanish-language picture book collections.

Downloadables

Download the CoverDownload the Series Activity Kit

Details

English Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-58089-815-7

SpanishHardcover
ISBN:978-1-62354-482-9

English Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-62354-270-2

Spanish Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-62354-562-8

Ages: 37
Page count: 32
11 x 8 1/2

Publication date: April 2, 2024

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