Elena lives near a small town in westernGuatemala. She lives there with her mother,her younger brother, Luis, and her baby sister, Ana. Herfather is far away, working on a plantation.Elena struggles to keep up in school. Her teacher says sheneeds to practice her reading, but it's hard to find timeto read. She must help her mother with the cooking andhousework, as well as the hard work of planting andweeding their garden.As the big sister Elena is also in charge of watching overLuis to keep him out of mischief. It isn't always easy andshe gets impatient with her little brother. But at the endof the day, when Elena shares a book with Luis, carefullysounding out the words, she comes to better understandand appreciate her role in the family.
