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That's Not Fair!/¡No Es Justo!
Emma Tenayuca's Struggle for Justice/La lucha de Emma Tenayuca por la Justicia
By Carmen Tafolla, Sharyll Teneyuca, Terry Ybáñez Wings Press
Copyright © 2008 Wings Press
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-60940-054-5
CHAPTER 1
1925 ...
The little girl with the shining, black eyes walked eagerly to school. She passed a small shack that had no door. Inside, a baby was crying, as his mother tried to warm him with her thin arms and her thin shawl. The little girl knew they were cold, and her black eyes flashed.
She passed a boy, maybe four years old. In his hands were a few small pecans he was shelling and sharing with two younger brothers. They ate eagerly as if that was all they would have today. The little girl knew they were hungry, and again, her eyes flashed.
When she arrived at school, her teacher announced happily, "Emma, look! We have a new hook to read today."
Emma loved to read! She had read every book in the classroom! But even as she pored over the new book, she kept remembering the children she had seen that morning.
After school, she took the new book home. And read it again. And again. As she sat on the front porch reading. Maria, a neighbor about her age peeked over and asked, "What are you doing?"
"I'm reading a wonderful story! Would you like to read it, too?"
"Oh, I can't!" said Maria. "I don't know how to read. Last year, I was starting to learn the letters. But then, the weather began to warm, and the flowers began to bloom. And my family had to go far away, to pick onions."
"We picked onions, then strawberries. We picked cabbage, then cotton. We picked beets, then corn. By the time we came back, school had ended, summer had passed, and school had started again."
La muchachita de brillantes ojos negros caminaba entusiasmada hacia la escuela. Pasó una casucha sin puerta. Adentro, un bebe lloraba mientras su madre trataba de protegerlo del frió con sus brazos delgados y su rebozo muy gastado. La niña sabia que tenían frío, y sus ojos negros relampaguearon.
Ella pasó junto a un niño de quizi cuatro años, que en sus manos tenía unas nueces pequeñas que estaba pelando y compartiendo con sus hermanitos. Comían ansiosamente, como si fuera todo lo que tuvieran para ese día. La niña sabia que tenían hambre. Suspiró profundamente y otra vez destellaron sus ojos
Cuando llegó a la escuela, su maestra anunció: –¡Mira, Emma! ¡Tenemos un libro nuevo para leer hoy!
A Emma le encantaba leer. ¡Había leído todos los libros que había en el salón de clases! Pero aún mientras leía el nuevo libro, no podía dejar de pensar en los niños que había visto por la mañana.
Después de las clases, se llevó el libro nuevo a su casa. Y lo leyó otra vez. Y otra. Se encontraba sentada en la veranda de su casa, mando María, una vecinita de su edad se asomó y le preguntó: –¿Que haces?
–¡Estoy leyendo un cuento maravilloso! ¿Quieres leerlo?
–¡Oh, no puedo! –dijo Mana. –No sé leer. El año paxado estaba empezando a aprender las letras. Pero llegó el tiempo de calor y las plantas comenzaron a florecer y mi familia tuvo que irse lejos a piscar cebollas.
–Piscamos cebollas, y después fresas. Piscamos repollo, y después algodón. Piscamos betabel, y después helóte. Cuando regresamos, las clases ya habían terminado, el verano ya se había pasado y la escuela había comenzado otra vez.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from That's Not Fair!/¡No Es Justo! by Carmen Tafolla, Sharyll Teneyuca, Terry Ybáñez. Copyright © 2008 Wings Press. Excerpted by permission of Wings Press.
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