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.

There are 31 pages in this book. This is a picture book. A picture book uses pictures and text to tell the story. The number of words varies from zero ('wordless') to around 1k over 32 pages. Picture books are typically aimed at young readers (age 3-6) but can also be aimed at older children (7+). This book was published 2008 by Children's Book Press, U. S. .

Julius Lester has written more than 30 books for children. Among the awards his books have received are the Newbery Honor, Boston-Globe Horn Book, Coretta Scott King, National Book Award finalist, ALA Notable Book, National Jewish Book Award finalist, and New York Times Outstanding Book Award. He lives in Belchertown, Massachusetts. Carl Angel is an artist, illustrator and graphic designer whose work has been exhibited in galleries throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Hawaii. He has illustrated several children's books, most recently Sky High. He lives in Burbank, California.