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Xochitl and the Flowers/Xochitl, la nina de las flores
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In this English-Spanish bilingual story, a girl misses her friends, family and garden after she moves from El Salvador to San Francisco.
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Xochitl and the Flowers tells a story about a family that immigrated from El Salvador to San Francisco, California. Main character Xochitl and her family essentially leave everything behind in hopes of a better life in the States and starting a flower business. This book covers their transition to a new life. In El Salvador Xochitl and her family had a lovely garden and owned a small flower business. When they immigrated to the States they began selling flowers on the street to provide an incom
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A beautifully told story based on a real-life event from the Mission District in San Francisco. Xochitl and her family come from El Salvador to San Francisco, leaving behind a flower business that made everyone smile.
It takes some time in this new country but the family are able to start up again selling flowers, and they eventually move into a place where they can grow flowers in the backyard.
The story attests to the power of community and faith in the relationships we hold with those around ...more
It takes some time in this new country but the family are able to start up again selling flowers, and they eventually move into a place where they can grow flowers in the backyard.
The story attests to the power of community and faith in the relationships we hold with those around ...more
I always enjoyed reading children's picture books about different cultures. Coming from a Latin family ourselves, we enjoyed reading this bilingual story.
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a girl misses her friends, family, and garden after she moves from El Salvador to San Francisco.
Based on a true event. I enjoyed the writing style and ilustrations.
Genre: Narrative Text: Realistic Fiction
This is an amazing children's book which is in English and Spanish. I loved how the author explained why Xochitl loved flowers because they reminded her of home, El Salvador. Xochitl explains how she and her mother sell flowers to make an income. She explains how her mother dreams of having a flower shop of her own one day. Further, into the story we learn that the family and landlord get into a disagreement. In order to resolve the disagreement the landlo ...more
This is an amazing children's book which is in English and Spanish. I loved how the author explained why Xochitl loved flowers because they reminded her of home, El Salvador. Xochitl explains how she and her mother sell flowers to make an income. She explains how her mother dreams of having a flower shop of her own one day. Further, into the story we learn that the family and landlord get into a disagreement. In order to resolve the disagreement the landlo ...more
Genre: Multi-cultural (bilingual, one side English, one side Spanish), historical fiction
Lexile: Not listed on either the scholastic or lexile website, but I googled it and got different answers. Based on the different numbers, I would say 600-900 and would use it for 4-6th grade.
Characters: Xochitl, her parents, her neighbors, the land owner
Setting: San Francisco
POV: from Xochitl
This fantastic story is rooted in themes of community and struggle. Xochitl and her family move from their home in ...more
Lexile: Not listed on either the scholastic or lexile website, but I googled it and got different answers. Based on the different numbers, I would say 600-900 and would use it for 4-6th grade.
Characters: Xochitl, her parents, her neighbors, the land owner
Setting: San Francisco
POV: from Xochitl
This fantastic story is rooted in themes of community and struggle. Xochitl and her family move from their home in ...more
Xochitl, a little girl from a Salvadorian family living in San Francisco, loves flowers. She desires to share that love by selling flowers with her mom to people in her community. One day, her father comes home and surprises them with a place from them to open a flower shop with a yard that has the potential to be a garden after it is cleared. The community pitches in to help clear the yard and prepare the shop, then they celebrate. Opposition arises that could put an end to their flower shop dr
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Published in 2008 by Children's Book Press
Interest Level: 3rd-7th Grade
This book is about a young girl and her family who immigrate to San Francisco from El Salvador. It covers the transition and how their lives are different in the two countries, how they acclimate to their new neighborhood, and how they preserve their heritage and culture. I think that this was one of the best immigration stories I've read in quite some time. The family does not romanticize the United States and their hard wor ...more
Interest Level: 3rd-7th Grade
This book is about a young girl and her family who immigrate to San Francisco from El Salvador. It covers the transition and how their lives are different in the two countries, how they acclimate to their new neighborhood, and how they preserve their heritage and culture. I think that this was one of the best immigration stories I've read in quite some time. The family does not romanticize the United States and their hard wor ...more
This book is based on the authors narrative and real-life events. Xochitl and the Flowers tells a story about a family that moved from El Salvador and left everything behind. In order to provide for their family, the parents and Xochitl begin to sell flowers on the streets of San Francisco. In little time, the family is able to sell to local flower stores and neighbors. The problem is that they have nowhere to plant the flowers because their apartment is too small. The community comes together a
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Why this book? One family’s story of immigration, based on true story, celebrates community allegiance
Theme/Keywords: immigration, family, city living (Mission District, San Francisco)
Characteristics of quality: culturally oriented, accessible for Spanish and English, focus on city children
Special Features: poems written from child’s perspective, based on true story of immigrant adjustment, community allegiances
Gender of primary character: girl
Race/ethnicity of primary character: Salvadoreña
C ...more
Theme/Keywords: immigration, family, city living (Mission District, San Francisco)
Characteristics of quality: culturally oriented, accessible for Spanish and English, focus on city children
Special Features: poems written from child’s perspective, based on true story of immigrant adjustment, community allegiances
Gender of primary character: girl
Race/ethnicity of primary character: Salvadoreña
C ...more
This story is about a young girl, Xochitl, who is far from her home, El Salvador. Xochitl and her family were florist in El Salvador and they are homesick. Jorge Argueta does an amazing job placing the reader in the families shoes and painting their struggles and happiness by his use of descriptive language. It is a story about making dreams come true through hard work and community supporting one another. I would use this text to teach descriptive language. An activity could be counting the adj
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The author of this book is from El Salvador making this book very authentic and reliable due to the fact that it is a realistic fiction book. The young girl misses being in El Salvador where she and her family owned a flower shop. Xochitl and her mother begin to sell flowers on the street and make a living out of this. They find a place to start growing flowers and are then kicked out. The community comes together to then help. This book is a good book to help create awareness to immigrant kids
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Argueta, J. (2003). Xochitl and the Flowers/Xochitl, la nina de las flores . San Francisco: Children's Book Press.
Subgroup: The changes/struggles of being a new immigrant in the US
Genre: Fiction
How it relates to the Latino cultural: When a family leaves their native home, sometimes it is hard to start a “new life” all over again. Some things are different and there has to be some adjustments. This book shows the changes and some of the struggles of a little girl who just moved to the United Stat ...more
Subgroup: The changes/struggles of being a new immigrant in the US
Genre: Fiction
How it relates to the Latino cultural: When a family leaves their native home, sometimes it is hard to start a “new life” all over again. Some things are different and there has to be some adjustments. This book shows the changes and some of the struggles of a little girl who just moved to the United Stat ...more
This specific book's genre is Multi-cultural historical fiction. Although Xochitl and her family have moved to the United States, she still misses her home in El Salvador. But when Xochitl’s family decides to start a nursery and sell their flowers on the street, the sense of community they find makes them feel connected to their neighbors, and their decision to start a nursery and flower shop in their backyard helps them feel at home in their adopted country.
This is a great story to read to kids ...more
This is a great story to read to kids ...more
This bilingual tale is based on a true community containing a special woman and her flower shop.
This story is great for discussions on communities and environment. It is also good for immigrants, small business and family. The beautiful illustrations bring you into both El Salvador and the San Fransisco neighborhood where this story takes place.
This story is great for discussions on communities and environment. It is also good for immigrants, small business and family. The beautiful illustrations bring you into both El Salvador and the San Fransisco neighborhood where this story takes place.
Miles away from their home in El
Salvador, Xochitl and her family
make a home in America. Xochitl
misses her family’s small flower
business and garden back home.
By selling flowers on the street
the Flores family begin to make
friends with their new neighbors.
But it is not until the family
decides to start a nursery that
Xochitl learns the value of
community.
Salvador, Xochitl and her family
make a home in America. Xochitl
misses her family’s small flower
business and garden back home.
By selling flowers on the street
the Flores family begin to make
friends with their new neighbors.
But it is not until the family
decides to start a nursery that
Xochitl learns the value of
community.
This was an inspiring story about hard work, perseverence and making your own dreams come true! We especially liked that it was bilingual, English and Spanish. My daughter says we should give it 5 1/2 stars!
Xochitl and her family, newly arrived in San Francisco from El Salvador, create a beautiful plant nursery in place of the garbage heap behind their apartment, and celebrate with their friends and neighbors.
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