Miles away from their home in El Salvador, Xochitl (Soh-cheel) and her family make a new home in the United States. But nothing is the same. Xochitl mourns a lovely garden and her family’s small flower business, all left behind. Selling flowers on the street soon provides more than income for the Flores family: they begin to make friends with local storeowners and neighbors. But it is not until the family decides to start a nursery in its backyard that Xochitl begins to learn the true value of community in their adopted country. Basing his narrative on real-life events, prize-winning poet Jorge Argueta has crafted a tender, poetic, and moving story about a family’s determination to set down roots and about their child’s blooming among friends and neighbors. Artist Carl Angel’s authentic and brilliant artwork splendidly documents this quintessentially American immigration story.

Jorge Argueta is a prize-winning poet and teacher. Born in El Salvador, he came to San Francisco in 1980. The author of many books of poems, he is active in the cultural life of the city and teaches poetry in the public schools. He also works with humanitarian organizations to assist families and children in El Salvador. His first book for Children's Book Press, A Movie in My Pillow / Una película en mi almohada, received the 2002 Américas Award for Latin American Literature, the IPPY Award for Multicultural Fiction—Juvenile / Young Adults, and the Skipping Stones Honor Award for Multicultural & International Books.

Carl Angel is a San Francisco artist and illustrator whose work is exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. He was born in Bainbridge, Maryland, raised in Hawaii, and now lives in Oakland, California. He is the illustrator of Children’s Book Press¹ recent Lakas and the Manilatown Fish, and of the books Mga Kuwentong Bayan: Folk Stories from the Philippines and Willie Wins, and has contributed to the anthology Honoring Our Ancestors.

32 pages Full-color illustrations throughout 8 3/4" x 11 1/4" Ages 6 and up Hardcover English/Spanish

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