Children's Literature
- Amy McMillan
Elena lives in Guatemala with her mother and younger sibling. Papa is away working on a plantation and the bulk of the work has fallen to Elena. She's struggling to succeed in school and Mama just doesn't seem to understand that she needs time to practice her reading and can't get it done while she's watching little Luis, gardening and cooking the meals. When she finds Mama asleep at the kitchen table one night she pulls Luis onto her lap and shows him the pictures in the book she is reading, telling him the story and trying out some of the words as she goes. Mama sees them working together and praises her efforts, promising to help her more.
