¡No tengo tiempo!

PreS-Gr 2—No one has time for Tim the bear, "Ni un minuto. Ni un segundo. Ni una centésima de segundo." ("Not one minute. Not one second. Not one hundredth of a second.") He has something very important to tell his friends, but neither Vicky the squirrel, Willie the badger, nor Bonny the bunny will stop their winter foraging to listen. With no sign of Tim, the three friends begin to worry and feel guilty for having ignored the bear. Then spring arrives bringing the sun and…Tim! The friends greet the fleet-footed HUNGRY bear, who sings back their old refrain. "Now I have no time. Not one minute. Not one second. Not one hundredth of a second." Vicky, Willy, and Bonny are upset by Tim's rudeness—the nerve! They haven't seen him for months, yet he can't take one measly minute to greet his friends? All three complain until Tim explains that he hasn't eaten in four months and that he had tried to tell them about holing up in his den, but no one had given him even one measly minute. Chastened, Bonny declares that from that day forward they will always make time for each other. Although this is a translation from Slovenian to Spanish, there is no awkwardness of phrasing and the story flows smoothly. Lubi's familiar style of soft pastel, nursery-wall art takes the sting from the friends' hurt feelings.