Amado, Elisa

"Manuelito's world in the Maya highlands of Guatemala is falling apart. His school has closed indefinitely; gangs and soldiers are roaming the town; and gunshots echo through the streets at night. Remembering the terrible conflict of the 1980s and desperate to save their son from the same violence, Manuelito's parents decide they must send Manuelito to live with his aunt in the United States. Accompanied by a human trafficker known as a coyote, Manuelito begins his hazardous journey to Mexico, then the U.S., in search of asylum. But nothing turns out as anyone hopes and dangers lurk everywhere, even once Manuelito finally reaches the United States"--Back cover.

"Manuelito's world in the Maya highlands of Guatemala is falling apart. His school has closed indefinitely; gangs and soldiers are roaming the town; and gunshots echo through the streets at night. Remembering the terrible conflict of the 1980s and desperate to save their son from the same violence, Manuelito's parents decide they must send Manuelito to live with his aunt in the United States. Accompanied by a human trafficker known as a coyote, Manuelito begins his hazardous journey to Mexico, then the U.S., in search of asylum. But nothing turns out as anyone hopes and dangers lurk everywhere, even once Manuelito finally reaches the United States"--Back cover.

A curious boy named Chepito learns from his family and neighbors why they perform a variety of duties on the farm and in the garden, including feeding the chickens, milking the cow, and digging around the corn. Chepito finds out that all these tasks help to provide the food he eats. Includes a short glossary of Spanish words introduced in the text.

"Manuelito's world in the Maya highlands of Guatemala is falling apart. His school has closed indefinitely; gangs and soldiers are roaming the town; and gunshots echo through the streets at night. Remembering the terrible conflict of the 1980s and desperate to save their son from the same violence, Manuelito's parents decide they must send Manuelito to live with his aunt in the United States. Accompanied by a human trafficker known as a coyote, Manuelito begins his hazardous journey to Mexico, then the U.S., in search of asylum. But nothing turns out as anyone hopes and dangers lurk everywhere, even once Manuelito finally reaches the United States"--Back cover.

A young Hispanic girl from a home filled with beautiful things and books is drawn to her cousin's warm Catholic household, steals a rosary from there, and is wracked with guilt afterward.

Margarita, a little girl who lives in a big house, begins to think about rich and poor when, sitting in a tree, she sees her less fortunate friend Rosario quietly taking Margarita's tricycle.

Before he leaves on his first day of school, Chepito plays outside and encounters many different people in his neighborhood who are all reading, and each person has a different response when Chepito asks them "Why?".