Additional information
by Nancy Shaw (Author), Kristina Rodanas (Illustrator)
Elena lives near a small town in western
Guatemala. She lives there with her mother,
her younger brother, Luis, and her baby sister, Ana. Her
father is far away, working on a plantation.
Elena struggles to keep up in school. Her teacher says she
needs to practice her reading, but it's hard to find time
to read. She must help her mother with the cooking and
housework, as well as the hard work of planting and
weeding their garden.
As the big sister Elena is also in charge of watching over
Luis to keep him out of mischief. It isn't always easy and
she gets impatient with her little brother. But at the end
of the day, when Elena shares a book with Luis, carefully
sounding out the words, she comes to better understand
and appreciate her role in the family.
