I enjoyed this historical fiction book very much. The family lives in Western Guatemala and the father is away at work so the mother her daughter and 2 sons must work the garden at their house. The daughter also must take care of her younger brother while going to school. The books plot captures the reader as Elena tries to juggle all the responsibilities she has as a young girl. The pictures are bright and expressive for students to enjoy. Each page shows Elena trying to get through the hard day of work as well as do her homework and help her brother. The author does a fantastic job of portraying the characters emotions throughout the text in the book. For example, when momma asks Elena to blow the candle out Elena feels upset because she wants to try understand her work. This is portrayed in the book by Elena saying, "Please, just a little more candlelight, I think I can get this." Reading this out loud I heard Elena's persistence in wanting to figure out her homework. ( )

Beautifully illustrated story about the daily life of a Guatemalan girl. Story tells how she and her family overcome obstacles so she can become a reader and share this gift with her bilingual (Mam, a Mayan dialect, and Spanish) family.

Nancy Shaw, the award-winning author of Raccoon Tune, Sheep in a Jeep and five other sheep stories, has written the latest installment in the Tales of the World multicultural series. It is realistic fiction and takes place in Guatemala, where a young girl named Elena is a struggling reader; however, she is so busy with chores and helping care for her younger siblings that she rarely has time to read. To further compound the problem, Elena’s family speaks Mam, a Mayan language, and not Spanish, the national language. The story is sprinkled with Spanish words and colorful illustrations that help define them. As the story unfolds, Elena finds a way to combine her responsibilities and her studies by reading to her younger brother, in Spanish. This is a perfect book to help students learn about a different culture and understand what life is like for children who speak a second language. It is beautifully written and illustrated and is sure to be a class favorite. ( )