Elena's Story

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.