"Every year at my school there is a spelling bee in Spanish.
I'm the first in my class to sign up because Spanish is the language of my family.
Es la lengua de mi familia."

The young narrator is proud of his language and culture, and studies with his abuela, who tells him "things were very different" when she was a little girl: "el espanol no estaba permitido," she explains. Abuela's stories motivate him to study harder, even when it's difficult, and his efforts pay off.

Back matter includes an author's note, information about the National Spanish Spelling Bee, El Dia de los Ninos, and the histry of prohibiting Spanish in public schools. Selected references and a Spanish alphabet are also included.

Parra's art for the book was made with acrylic paint on illustration board and digital media; it has the texture of collage. ( )